GEORGETOWN – In a perilous game of high-stakes cat and mouse, Guyana’s top anti-narcotics official, James Singh, is staring down credible death threats while simultaneously delivering crippling blows to international drug cartels. The drama unfolding at the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) has never been more intense, as Singh and his team announce staggering drug seizures that are hitting traffickers where it hurts most: their illicit profits.
So far in 2025, CANU agents have pulled 112 kilograms of cocaine and a monumental 1,500 kilograms of marijuana, a literal ton-and-a-half, off the streets and out of the international pipeline. This massive crackdown, however, has come at a terrifying personal cost for the man leading the charge.
The Face of Defiance
Mr. Singh, the unflappable Head of CANU, confirmed to reporters that the threat to his life, first exposed in August, remains potent and active. “They would be the ones who have a vested interest in intimidating us as they normally do to allow the drugs to move freely,” Singh stated, his words a stark indictment of the criminal enterprises he is fighting.
Intelligence gathered from international partners has not only confirmed the danger but also helped Singh and his security detail pinpoint the source and the likely criminal group behind the plot. When asked if the threats were specifically aimed at him, Singh’s response was chillingly direct: “They were directed to me.”
A Country Under Siege
The seizures underscore Guyana’s unfortunate reality as a vital transshipment point on the global drug map. Singh explained that the nation’s strategic geographic location makes it a magnet for smugglers looking to ferry narcotics between South America and lucrative markets in North America and Europe.
A significant portion of the drugs, Singh revealed, ispouring in from Venezuela. This continuous, aggressive influx fuels the “vested interest” in paralyzing law enforcement, an interest now focused squarely on silencing Singh. “In this field there is always a threat, this one was more pronounced,” Singh admitted.
Yet, even as his life hangs in the balance, his resolve, and that of his unit, appears only to be hardened. Heightened security measures are now a daily reality for Singh and his CANU ranks. Despite the fear factor, the fight is intensifying. Singh confirmed that local and international partners are now paying “a lot more attention” to the organizations identified as the masterminds behind the attempts to intimidate and potentially eliminate him.
In a deadly, global trade measured in billions, James Singh is the man standing between the cartels and their cash. His defiance ensures that for now, the drug lords will have to contend with a Guyana that is pushing back, one massive seizure at a time.
