‘Not the End’ — President Ali vows to dismantle all drug operations

Days after a major bust at an illegal airstrip in Region One (Barima-Waini), President Dr. Irfaan Ali pledged on Wednesday that local authorities are prepared to collaborate with their partners to dismantle all criminal networks, particularly drug trafficking operations, in the country.

“Make no mistake, the bust is not the end of the matter. We are ready to work with you in dismantling the global empire that drug trade has created.

“We are committing to dismantling any cells which may exist locally and have lend support to transnational criminal cartels. This is our commitment to the global community,” President Ali stated during his address at the launch of the National Defence Institute.

The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), with support from the Army’s Special Forces and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), discovered over four tonnes of cocaine valued at US$195 million buried underground near the illegal airstrip over the weekend. This bust followed months of high-level surveillance and intelligence gathering.

In commending the security services for their recent success, President Ali emphasized Guyana’s intention to work with its partners to destabilize and “break the back” of all criminal networks, especially drug trafficking operations within Guyana’s borders and airspace.

“As small as we are, with the limited resources that we have, you can be assured that we are taking all responsibility seriously and any information that is available to us, we will go after to the best of our ability every single operation that has to be dismantled,” Dr. Ali said.

President Ali noted that the operation is a clear demonstration of Guyana’s resolve to combat drug trafficking and to protect the nation from being used as a transshipment point for illicit substances.

“To those who may have ambitions of using Guyana as a transnational point for the movement of illegal substances, let me be clear, we will come after you with the full force of the law. We will not allow our country to be used for criminal activity and we will pursue those who seek to do so,” President Ali warned.