As part of its ongoing global crackdown on the drug trade and the importation of drugs into the United States, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has announced visa restrictions for family, close personal and business associates of sanctioned persons involved in the drug trade.

In a statement, the US State Department said the fentanyl crisis in the United States is unprecedented, with overdoses remaining the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 44, adding that more than 40 percent of Americans reportedly know someone who has died from an opioid overdose, and in 2024 the United States averaged over 220 overdose deaths daily.

“Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy under section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that will apply to family members and close personal and business associates of individuals sanctioned under Executive Order 14059 Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade (E.O. 14059)”, Secretary Rubio said on Thursday.

He said imposing visa restrictions on drug traffickers, their family members, and close personal and business associates will not only prevent them from entering the United States, but it will serve as a deterrent for continued illicit activities.

Three weeks ago, the US announced sanctions against four Guyanese nationals who are alleged to be involved in the drug trade.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Himnauth Sawh is among four Guyanese that have been sanctioned by the US Government for reported links to drug trafficking the Colombian drug trafficking underworld.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control named Senior Superintendent of Police Himnauth Sawh along with businessman Paul Daby Jr., Mark Cromwell aka “Demon” of Buxton and Randolph Duncan aka Rudolph Duncan to its latest list of sanctioned individuals.

According to the US Government, the four are linked to two Colombian nationals who have also been sanctioned by the US for drug trafficking and related crimes.

The US Government alleged that the four Guyanese along with the two Colombians have been exploiting the rivers and jungles of South America by transiting large quantities of cocaine, from Colombia and Venezuela, through the waters of Guyana and Suriname.

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