Guyana will no longer be an easy target for narco-trafficking – Ambassador on stronger US partnership

United States (US) Ambassador Nicole Theriot has affirmed that as Washington and Georgetown continue to strengthen their security partnership, Guyana will become an increasingly difficult environment for narcotraffickers to operate. The Ambassador made the remarks during the Energy Perspectives podcast on Monday, where she expressed: “let’s be honest, Guyana is a really attractive target now with all of the revenues from oil and gas, with all of the development and growth that’s happening. If I were a criminal, I’d be like, ‘oh, I’ll go into Guyana’.”

Nonetheless, she noted that the US stands ready to help Guyana address these problems. Already, she highlighted that the two Governments have strengthened partnerships, with US law enforcement bodies working closely with local agencies like the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). She also pointed out how Guyana’s participation in the Shield of the Americas and the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition is strengthening regional efforts to combat narcotrafficking.

“I think everyone now knows that we invited Guyana to become a founding member of the Shield of the Americas and of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition. It’s a very elite group. It’s a small group. And we chose Guyana to be, and you of course, accepted to be members of that because we believe that we can work with you to build capacity and you can become a true partner in countering narcotics trafficking, in countering online scams that are taking advantage of so many people, especially the elderly, and to stopping transnational criminal organisations from invading this part of the world,” the US diplomat explained.