Regions 4 and 6 listed as hotspots for drug smuggling in CANU report

While there has been a reduction in the seizure of Cannabis for the first half of this year, when compared to the same period last year, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has singled out Regions 4 and 6 as having the highest number of narcotic seizures for the period.

Cannabis has been listed as the number one drug passing through the areas, even for shipment to other parts of the country and for sale and distribution.

Cannabis represented 98% of all narcotics seized by the unit in the first half of 2023, making it the most frequently confiscated narcotic during the period.

According to CANU, Region Four accounted for 299.90 kg of cannabis seized for the period.

In Region 6, New Amsterdam and Corentyne have been identified as the hotspots for the distribution of the drug while in Region 4, Sophia, Buxton, Mahaica and the various ports of entries were identified.

In Region 5, CANU said a single seizure of cannabis weighing 41.79kg was made by the unit, while seizures in the Region 9 district accounted for the seizure of 28.4 kg of cannabis.

The formation of several units within CANU such as Metal Monitoring, Joint Maritime Control and Container Scanning continue to work together with other law enforcement agencies to help slow down the flow of illicit drug in Guyana and those shipped through Guyana.

CANU has also been actively involved in investigating other criminal activities including terrorism, arms trafficking, and human and wildlife trafficking.

Last year alone, CANU seized $1.1 billion worth of illegal drugs, which represents a 68.26 per cent increase from 2021.

According to CANU, it continues to work diligently to prevent the spread of illicit drugs in Guyana and ensure the enforcement of relevant legislation.