More than 500 persons were charged with a drug-related offence last year, according to Guyana’s Drug Information Network Report 2019.
The Guyana Drug Information Network (GUYDIN) Report 2019 describes an accurate
setting of the drug situation in Guyana, covering all thematic aspects of the main issues
involved.
According to the document, a total of 334 drug seizures occurred among law enforcement agencies and there were 22 operations for the eradication of marijuana last year.
Overall, 579,412 kg of narcotics were taken off of the market and there were over 500 persons charged with a drug related offence for the period.
However, only 38 persons were convicted for the possession of narcotics. Of this number, 14 were convicted for possession of marijuana, while 5 were convicted for possession of cocaine and 7 for possession of other drugs such as ecstasy, heroin and meth and 9 for possession of drug paraphernalia.
A total of 110 persons were convicted for trafficking narcotics, of this number, 89 for trafficking marijuana and 21 for trafficking cocaine.
Furthermore, during 2018, about 8,475 pieces of drug evidence was submitted to the Guyana Forensics Science Laboratory for analysis for presence and identification of the types of narcotics from various Police Divisions A to G and CANU.
These pieces of evidence were a part of 480 drug case investigations. Of this, 478 cases were processed. Overall about 387 returned positive results for cannabis, 82 for cocaine and 17 for ecstasy.
Over the years, the GUYDIN has been performing situational analysis on Guyana’s
drug problem and publishing national drug reports that has been evolving continuously as
new information and indicators become available to better monitor and combat the drug issue.
Alcohol, marijuana and tobacco has traditionally been the main substances used and misused across Guyana including among the youth population.
The 2016 Household Drug Prevalence Survey indicated that the rate of binge drinking among males was 64% and 46% among females.
Among the youths, a regional analysis indicated that over 60% of young people engaged in the risky activity of binge drinking, the highest in the region.
