Local law enforcement officials and international partners have been alerted to a threat against the life of Director of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh. Based on information received, the threats may have originated from major drug cartels within South America and the Caribbean whose consignments were either intercepted or is being targeted. Since returning to the helm of the drug enforcement agency, Singh’s leadership has resulted in the dismantling of drug trades in and out of Guyana – something that the alleged drugs cartels are not pleased with. In an invited comment, Singh related that a threat on his life is also one on the Unit and ultimately the country.
Director of CANU, James Singh
“We have been receiving text messages and voice messages from several foreign numbers… as such, we will not take these threats lightly and the Unit has already informed our stakeholders – the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) along with our international partners… This is not a threat against me but by extension, the Unit and the country as a whole.”
He added that the numbers are being tracked and the law enforcement authorities have some knowledge from where the numbers originated. Guyana Times understands that the numbers may have been registered with Venezuelans and Colombian networks. “We will continue to monitor the situation with the hope that the issue does not escalate… but at the same time, we will be extremely careful,” Singh added. Over the years, drug traffickers have been exploiting the rivers and jungles of South America by transporting large quantities of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela through Guyana and Suriname.
The narco-submarine found with the cocaine off the shore of Guyana in March 2024
It was reported that Guyana has been the focus of major United States (US) law enforcement operations in the last few years that were done in partnership with Guyanese authorities and resulted in several multi-tonne seizures of cocaine.
Only in March this year, a cargo vessel originating in Guyana was discovered by Police in the waters of Trinidad and Tobago with approximately 182 kilograms (kg) of cocaine. Cocaine packages stamped with the Toyota logo, a known trademark of the Sinaloa Cartel, were found on board the cargo vessel.
Further, some 2370 kg (5000lbs) of cocaine in a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) approximately 150 miles off the coast of Guyana on March 21, 2024. Then in August last year, Guyanese authorities, with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), unearthed some 4.4 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of some €176 million (G$40.7 billion) hidden in several bunkers near an illegal airstrip at Matthews Ridge, Region One, which shares a border with Venezuela.
Meanwhile, only recently, Senior Superintendent of Police Himnauth Sawh was among four Guyanese nationals who had been sanctioned by the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for drug trafficking.
Also sanctioned were Paul Daby Jr, Randolph Duncan, called Rudolph Duncan and Mark Cromwell, called “Demon” and “Diamond,” a former Police Officer.
In addition, two Colombians, Yeison Andres Sanchez Vallejo and Manuel Salazar Gutierrez, were on the OFAC SDN List. These sanctions were imposed under an Executive Order issued back in December 2021 [ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059] titled: Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade.
At the time of that drug bust on August 31, 2024 at Matthew’s Ridge, Senior Superintendent Sawh was serving as the Police Commander for Region One. He was subsequently removed from that post and assigned to the GPF Transport Workshop.
