Travis Chase of HGP Nightly News has reported that the United States has named four Guyanese nationals and two Colombians as drug traffickers, highlighting Guyana’s long-standing role as a key transshipment hub for cocaine smuggling operations from South America.
The four are: Senior Superintendent of the Guyana Police Force Himnauth Sawh; businessmen Mark Cromwell a.k.a.: “Diamond” “Demon,” Paul Daby Jr. a.k.a.: “Randell”; and Randolph Duncan. The U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control has today sanctioned all four.
According to the U.S. authorities, for decades, traffickers have taken advantage of Guyana’s geographical position and terrain—rivers, dense jungle, and a proximity to the Caribbean—to move large quantities of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela into international markets, including the United States and Europe.
The report explains that traffickers exploit weaknesses in maritime and border security. They use the waterways of Guyana and neighboring Suriname to move narcotics aboard sea vessels, including so-called narco-submarines, which can often operate undetected due to alleged corruption at some ports and border points.
In addition to maritime routes, drug traffickers also use small aircraft to bring cocaine into Guyana. These flights often land on illegal airstrips hidden deep within the country’s interior.
HGP Nightly News reports that some of these clandestine landing sites include underground bunkers used to store narcotics before further distribution.
One area identified as a trafficking hotspot is the Barima-Waini Region, where large stashes of cocaine have been uncovered. From these remote areas, the drugs are flown out to destinations across the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe.
Neither the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government nor the Commissioner of Police has addressed the explosive revelation that Senior Superintendent of Police Himnauth Sawh has been named by the United States as a drug trafficker and sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Despite the gravity of the allegation, there has been no press conference or public statement from Commissioner Clifton Hicken.
Analysts say the silence is troubling, noting that a matter of such seriousness demands immediate transparency and accountability at the highest levels. There is growing public concern over whether the People’s Progressive Party administration will take decisive action—such as placing the senior superintendent on administrative leave—pending further investigation.
This latest development underlines ongoing international concerns about drug trafficking networks operating in and through Guyana, as well as the need for enhanced counter-narcotics cooperation and enforcement.
