Georgetown, Guyana – September 10, 2025 – The Guyana Police Force has wiped out more than $810 million worth of cannabis in a string of major eradication exercises along the Wiruni Creek and Wiruni Savannahs in Region 10’s Upper Berbice River, torching thousands of plants and makeshift camps in what ranks among the country’s largest recent anti-narcotics sweeps.
According to the Force’s Narcotics Branch, the first raid unfolded on Tuesday during a four-hour operation along the Wiruni Creek. Officers stumbled upon a sprawling five-acre farm boasting some 2,000 marijuana plants, each between two and five feet tall. Nearby, they found a camp outfitted with a drying area where 580 pounds of dried cannabis were stashed. The site, along with the farm, was destroyed by fire. Police estimated the street value of the plants at $677,600, while the dried cannabis was pegged at nearly $237 million. No arrests were made, but investigations are ongoing.
The crackdown continued in the Wiruni Savannahs, where an eight-acre plot being readied for marijuana cultivation was discovered. Again, police unearthed a camp and drying station, this time with about 1,400 pounds of dried cannabis valued at over $571 million. In a more troubling find, officers seized a 12-gauge shotgun without a serial number and nine matching cartridges hidden at the site. Both the firearm and ammunition are now undergoing forensic tests. The massive stockpile of cannabis was also destroyed by fire.
The day’s work didn’t end there. In another sweep between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. along the Wiruni Creek, a three-acre tract with 10,000 marijuana plants was located. The plants, ranging in height from two to five feet, were torched on the spot. Police valued the crop at over $3.3 million.
Altogether, the operations resulted in the destruction of cannabis worth more than $810 million. While no one has yet been arrested, police say investigations are continuing.
The raids underscore the scale of illegal cultivation in Guyana’s interior, particularly in remote parts of Region 10 where dense forests and river systems provide cover for large-scale farming. Authorities have long struggled to crack down on these operations, which fuel the local trade and feed into regional trafficking networks. Tuesday’s haul sends a clear message, but also highlights the challenges, no cultivators were caught, raising questions about how deeply entrenched these networks remain.
