HGP Nightly News – Guyana’s drug enforcement numbers are climbing sharply, with the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) reporting hundreds of kilogrammes of narcotics seized so far this year, along with dozens of firearms.
For July and August alone, CANU seized 154 kilogrammes of narcotics and 11 firearms, pushing the year’s total to 673 kilogrammes of narcotics and 46 firearms, according to information published by the agency.
The latest figures paint a troubling picture of the volume of illegal drugs moving through the country, but one development stands out in particular.
Crystal methamphetamine has now appeared in CANU’s seizure statistics for the first time.
CANU said 1.89 kilogrammes of crystal meth were intercepted during the period, with 1.82 kilogrammes seized in April. The agency described the development as significant and concerning for Guyana’s domestic drug landscape.
Cannabis still accounts for the largest share of the seizures, with 456 kilogrammes recorded so far this year, followed by 215 kilogrammes of cocaine and more than 2 kilogrammes of new psychoactive substances, including crystal meth and ecstasy.
CANU’s figures also point to a major increase in the volume of narcotics being intercepted compared with the same period last year.
The agency said narcotics seizures were up by 272.4 per cent, from 139.5 kilogrammes during the corresponding period in 2025.
Cocaine, in particular, has seen a dramatic jump. CANU reported 159.93 kilogrammes seized, compared with 42.97 kilogrammes during the same period last year — an increase of about 272 per cent.
Two major seizures helped drive that figure, with 92.4 kilogrammes intercepted in January and another 45.6 kilogrammes in May.
And the numbers carry a staggering price tag.
CANU estimates that the cocaine alone would be worth about US$15.99 million in the United States and €12.79 million in European markets at international retail prices.
Across all the narcotics seized, the agency estimates a domestic street value of GYD $339.38 million. Internationally, the estimated wholesale value is about US$5.72 million, while potential retail values could reach US$20.02 million in the United States and €16.02 million in Europe.
The seizures are not coming from one location either.
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport accounted for about 35 per cent of all seizures during the reporting period, reinforcing its position as a major point of interception.
CANU said trafficking attempts at the airport have historically included cocaine concealed in outbound passenger luggage and air freight.
Other interceptions were made at land borders, along maritime routes and during targeted operations in Regions 3, 4 and 9.
Earlier this year, CANU reported that its first-half operations had already resulted in 519.49 kilogrammes of narcotics, 35 illegal firearms and 699 rounds of ammunition being seized.
At the time, the agency described those figures as its most significant mid-year seizure totals in its history.
Now, with the year’s narcotics haul climbing to 673 kilogrammes and crystal meth making its first appearance in the statistics, the figures raise an uncomfortable question: how much more is getting through that enforcement officers never see?
For CANU, the seizures are evidence of interdiction. For the wider public, they also offer a glimpse of the scale of the challenge facing Guyana’s borders and communities.
