Senior policeman among Guyanese sanctioned by US for drug trafficking

Former Commander of Region One (Barima-Waini) Senior Superintendent Himnauth Sawh is among four Guyanese nationals who have been sanctioned by the United States for drug trafficking.

The others are Paul Daby Jr, Mark Cromwell (a former policeman), and Randolph Duncan.

Daby Jr’s address is listed as 127 D’Aguiar Park, Georgetown, Guyana.

Cromwell’s address is listed as Lot 40 Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, Guyana and Lot 10 Buxton, East Coast Demerara.

Duncan’s address is listed only as Georgetown, Guyana.

Meanwhile, the address of Sawh – who remains a serving member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) – is listed as Cane Grove, Guyana.

Sawh was serving as Police Commander of Region One (Barima-Waini), last September when some 4.4 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of over G$40.7 billion, were discovered hidden in several bunkers near an illegal airstrip at Matthew’s Ridge.

Meanwhile, Cromwell is also a former police officer who was fingered in an alleged abduction back in October 2024 and was charged for assaulting a cop the previous year.

The is the second time in the past year that OFAC has issued sanctions against Guyanese.

In 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Nazar Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed, several of their associated companies, and Guyanese government official Mae Thomas.

The sanctions were issued over their alleged roles in public corruption. According to an official OFAC statement, the sanctions stem from a large-scale tax evasion scheme related to gold exports. Between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise is alleged to have omitted more than 10,000 kilograms of gold from import and export declarations—resulting in the evasion of over US$50 million in duty taxes owed to the Government of Guyana. Despite the allegations, the Mohameds have denied any wrongdoing.

In a Reuters article published on July 14, 2023, it was revealed that the family is under investigation by several US agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Homeland Security.

Citing five sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Reuters has reported that the Mohameds are suspected of smuggling both Colombian cocaine and Venezuelan gold to international markets. Further, an intelligence report referenced in the investigation suggests that they may also be involved in laundering money for drug traffickers and criminal organizations, including sanctioned Russian nationals operating in the region.

See full statement from the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control:

For decades, Guyana has been a transshipment point for the movement of drugs from South America to the United States and Europe.

Drug traffickers exploit the rivers and jungles of South America by transiting large quantities of cocaine, from Colombia and Venezuela, through the waters of Guyana and Suriname.

Guyana’s proximity to the Caribbean, as well as reported corruption along its ports and borders, allow maritime vessels, also known as narco-submarines, to transit through its waters undetected.

Traffickers utilize these vessels to smuggle cocaine from the ports of Guyana and Suriname, across the Atlantic, to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.

Traffickers also coordinate the importation of cocaine loads from Colombia and Venezuela to Guyana via small aircraft, utilizing illegal airstrips in Guyana as landing spots.

Cocaine has been discovered buried in underground bunkers located on airstrips and in jungle territory, with Guyana’s Barima-Waini region as a prominent location.

Cocaine is then flown, via aircraft, to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.