Senior Superintendent Himnauth Sawh sent on leave after U.S. sanctions for drug trafficking

In keeping with the Guyana Police Force’s Standard Operating Procedure, Senior Superintendent Himnauth Sawh has been sent on administrative leave following his sanctioning by the United States for alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

The development comes after the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday announced sanctions against ten individuals, including four Guyanese nationals. Sawh, who was most recently assigned to the Force’s Projects Office, is now under scrutiny for his alleged links to a massive drug trafficking operation.

The Police Force confirmed the move in a brief statement, noting it had “taken note” of the OFAC report. Sawh, who joined the Force on 3 June 2008, previously served as the Divisional Commander for Region One (Barima-Waini)—an area where a significant drug bust was made under his watch.

That bust, led by Special Forces, unearthed approximately 4.5 tonnes of cocaine concealed in four hand-dug pits and camouflaged with wood, tarpaulin, and vegetation. The stash, discovered deep in the jungle, was estimated to be worth €176 million (US$195 million), raising questions at the time about how such an operation could have been carried out undetected.

Sawh is among four Guyanese nationals now facing sanctions from OFAC. The others are:

• Paul Daby Jr., son of the late Paul Daby Snr., who died in Colombia in 2021. Daby Jr. was once a person of interest in a local murder case, though he was never charged.

• Mark Cromwell, also known as ‘Demon’ and ‘Diamond,’ a name long linked to criminal elements in Guyana.

• Randolph Duncan, for whom little public information is available, but who is included among the sanctioned individuals.

These latest sanctions follow a previous OFAC action against prominent Guyanese businessman Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed, and their businesses. Around that time, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mae Thomas, was also blacklisted by the U.S.

Under OFAC’s sanctions, all property and interests belonging to the named individuals that fall under U.S. jurisdiction are to be blocked, and U.S. persons are prohibited from dealing with them. The U.S. government has framed these measures as part of its ongoing fight against transnational crime and narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.