VZCZCXRO1853
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHGE #0685/01 3381910
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031910Z DEC 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6860
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0608
RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN 4156
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GEORGETOWN 000685 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP TJOHNS, CARACAS FOR LEGATT KCURRIER AND CBROWN, 
PORT OF SPAIN FOR DEA DJOSEPH AND KBROOKS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR GY
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, PART I 
 
REF: STATE 100970 
 
¶1. (U) Post presents its 2009 International Narcotics Control 
Strategy Report, Part I, Drugs and Chemical Control 
 
Guyana: 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
Guyana is a transit point for cocaine destined for North America, 
Europe, and the Caribbean, but not, it is thought, in quantities 
sufficient to impact the U.S. market. In 2008, domestic seizures of 
cocaine fell more than 50% from 2007, due principally to the lack of 
any major seizures. In the penultimate year of its National Drug 
Strategy Master Plan (NDSMP) for 2005-2009, the Government of Guyana 
(GOG) has achieved few of the plan's original goals. Minimal 
cooperation among law enforcement bodies, weak border controls, and 
limited resources for law enforcement have allowed drug traffickers 
to move shipments via river, air, and land without meaningful 
resistance. 
 
However, a major personnel transition within the Customs 
Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) offers some promise of improved 
coordination and interdiction efforts.  In April, Guyana acceded to 
the UN Convention Against Corruption; in June, it acceded to the 
Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. 
Guyana is already a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.  In 
October, the GOG re-arrested and re-initiated extradition 
proceedings against U.S. citizen Barry Dataram, an accused drug 
trafficker under indictment by federal prosecutors in the U.S. 
 
Status of Country 
 
Guyana is a transit country for cocaine, and to a lesser degree 
marijuana. Guyana's vast expanse of unpopulated forest and savannahs 
offers ample cover for drug traffickers and smugglers. Government 
counternarcotics efforts have been undermined by inadequate 
resources for, and poor coordination among, law enforcement 
agencies; an overburdened and inefficient judiciary; and a 
colonial-era legal system badly in need of modernization. Murders, 
kidnappings, and other violent crimes commonly believed to be linked 
with narcotics trafficking are regularly reported in the Guyanese 
media. Guyana produces high-grade cannabis; it is not known to 
produce, trade, or transit precursor chemicals on a large scale. 
 
Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 
 
Policy Initiatives. The GOG undertook a major overhaul of CANU - its 
chief counternarcotics body - by firing nine of its officers in May, 
including the Acting Head; the government announced that the 
individuals in question had failed lie detector tests.  In October, 
a new Head was hired, and the replacement of other dismissed 
officers is ongoing at year's end.  The new Head has promised 
regularization of CANU operations, improved efficiency, and enhanced 
collaboration among law enforcement bodies. 
 
The GOG continued implementation of a 5 million USD, multi-year 
Security Sector Reform plan funded by the United Kingdom that 
commenced in 2007. However, little progress has been made on some of 
the plan's key provisions: a Parliamentary committee to oversee 
national security has not been established, and a national security 
policy has not yet been developed. Additionally, legislation tabled 
in 2007 that would augment the tools currently available to law 
enforcement in fighting money laundering, including regulations to 
allow for the seizure of assets, has been stalled in Parliament; the 
chances for its passage remain unclear. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts. 2008 saw a significant decrease in the 
amount of cocaine seized compared to 2007, due largely to the lack 
of any seizures of more than a few kilograms, as well as to the 
effects of the personnel turmoil within CANU. In 2008, Guyanese law 
enforcement agencies seized 48 kilograms (kgs) of cocaine, compared 
to 167 kgs in 2007.  However, eradication of domestically grown 
marijuana increased sharply, with 34,000 kgs identified and 
destroyed, compared to 15,280 kgs in 2007.  Criminal charges were 
filed against 473 individuals for activities related to the 
trafficking or distribution of illicit drugs. 
 
In October, police re-arrested and re-initiated extradition 
proceedings against Barry Dataram, a U.S. citizen under indictment 
by federal prosecutors in the U.S., after he had been released on 
bail in January by the local courts while undergoing the extradition 
process. Dataram had failed to check in twice per week with the 
police as ordered by the court at the time of his release from 
custody, which led to his re-arrest; Dataram is appealing his 
possible extradition to the U.S. 
 
 
GEORGETOWN 00000685  002 OF 003 
 
 
Guyana's counternarcotics activities are encumbered by the 
peculiarities of a British colonial-era legal system that has not 
been updated to reflect the needs of modern-day law enforcement. 
There are no laws that support plea bargaining, wiretapping, or the 
use of DNA evidence. Nor are there laws against racketeering or 
conspiracy. Even when more contemporary crime fighting tools are 
available to one law enforcement body, they are not necessarily 
available to others. At Guyana's international airport, for example, 
the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) operates surveillance cameras to 
help thwart tax fraud. But the cameras are not well-placed to aid 
counternarcotics operations, video footage is not shared with 
narcotics authorities and it is not clear that it would be 
admissible in drug-related court proceedings. In all cases, law 
enforcement agencies are hamstrung by meager personnel budgets. 
There are no routine patrols of the numerous land entry points on 
the 1,800 miles of border with Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname. 
 
The GOG has not identified or confronted major drug traffickers and 
their organizations. While the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Narcotics 
Branch and CANU arrested numerous drug couriers at Guyana's 
international airport en route to the Caribbean, North America, and 
Europe, the arrests were limited to individuals with small amounts 
of marijuana, crack cocaine or powder cocaine, usually on charges of 
possession for the purpose of trafficking. 
 
Corruption. There is no evidence that the GOG or senior GOG 
officials encourage or facilitate the illicit production, 
processing, shipment or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic 
drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds 
from illegal drug transactions. News media routinely report on 
instances of corruption reaching to high levels of government that 
are not investigated and thus go unpunished, but no conclusive 
evidence is available to back up these claims. USG analysts believe 
drug trafficking organizations in Guyana continue to elude law 
enforcement agencies through bribes and coercion, but substantiating 
information is anecdotal at best. Guyana is party to the 
Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (IACAC), but has yet to 
fully implement its provisions, such as seizure of property obtained 
through corruption. In April, Guyana acceded to the UN Convention 
against Corruption. 
 
Agreements and Treaties. In June, Guyana acceded to the 
Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. 
Guyana is party to the 1961 UN Single Convention, as amended by the 
1972 Protocol, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 
and the 1988 UN Drug Convention. Guyana also is a party to the UN 
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocol on 
trafficking in persons and the Inter American Convention against 
Corruption. The 1931 Extradition Treaty between the United States 
and the United Kingdom is applicable to the U.S. and Guyana, but 
there is no bilateral mutual legal assistance treaty between the 
U.S. and Guyana.  Guyana has bilateral agreements to cooperate on 
drug trafficking issues with its neighbors and with the United 
Kingdom. Guyana is also a member of the Organization of American 
States' Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (OAS/CICAD). 
 
Cultivation and Production. A very high-grade form of cannabis is 
grown in Guyana, primarily in the intermediate savannahs, and its 
cultivation is reportedly increasing. Most cannabis is consumed 
locally, although some is also exported, largely to other Caribbean 
countries. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit. There are no reliable estimates regarding the 
amount of cocaine or cannabis that transits Guyana. According to USG 
law enforcement authorities, Guyanese narcotics traffickers 
regularly move shipments of cocaine through the country. Some 
cannabis cultivated in Guyana is also smuggled out of the country, 
although in more modest quantities. Drugs flow easily through 
Guyana's uncontrolled borders and coastline. Light aircraft land at 
numerous isolated airstrips or make airdrops where operatives on the 
ground retrieve the drugs. Smugglers use small boats and freighters 
to enter Guyana's many remote but navigable rivers. Smugglers also 
take direct routes, such as driving or boating across the borders 
with Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela. 
 
Inside the country, narcotics are transported to Georgetown by road, 
water, or air and then sent on to the Caribbean, North America, or 
Europe via commercial air carriers or cargo ships. Authorities have 
arrested drug mules attempting to smuggle small amounts of cocaine 
on virtually every northbound route out of the international 
airport; suitcases not checked by any boarding passenger have also 
been intercepted by counternarcotics officials just prior to 
loading. 
 
Demand Reduction (Domestic Programs). Marijuana is sold and consumed 
openly in Guyana, despite frequent arrests for possessing small 
amounts of cannabis. Sources within the GOG and a local NGO note 
 
GEORGETOWN 00000685  003 OF 003 
 
 
that consumption of all psychotropic substances in Guyana is 
increasing, with a particularly dramatic rise in the use of Ecstasy 
(MDMA) and marijuana; media reports have also emerged indicating the 
use of sniffing agents such as gasoline and glue among students. 
Guyana's ability to deal with drug abusers is hampered by the modest 
financial resources to support rehabilitation programs. Guyana only 
has two facilities that treat substance abuse-the Salvation Army and 
the Phoenix Recovery Center. There are no programs to deal with 
substance abuse in the prisons. 
 
U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Policy Initiatives. U.S. policy focuses on cooperating with Guyana's 
law enforcement agencies, promoting good governance, and 
facilitating demand reduction programs. In 2007, the USG continued 
to encourage Guyanese participation in bilateral and multilateral 
counternarcotics initiatives, and funded a substance abuse treatment 
program for women (the two previously existing programs in Guyana 
only funded treatment for men), as well as gender-specific training 
for drug counselors. The U.S. Agency for International Development 
(USAID) is funding projects to improve governance in Guyana, which 
includes parliamentary and judicial reform. 
 
Bilateral Cooperation. The DEA, from its Trinidad office, works with 
Guyana's government and law enforcement agencies to provide training 
and develop initiatives that will enhance their counternarcotics 
activities. The GOG routinely grants diplomatic credentials to DEA 
officers who cover Guyana, and working level collaboration is 
generally positive. 
 
The Road Ahead. Neither the GOG nor the various drug enforcement 
bodies of the U.S. have dedicated the resources to determine the 
quantity of illegal drugs flowing through Guyana. All projections 
are speculative based on the few seizures made. In the absence of 
both sound data and more robust DEA/INL involvement, the U.S. will 
not augment resources for investigation and interdiction in Guyana. 
Instead, it will continue to channel any future assistance to 
initiatives that demonstrate success in treating substance abusers. 
The U.S. will also continue to use its diplomatic tools to encourage 
the GOG to organize an effective counternarcotics program, 
especially within the context of the British-funded overhaul of the 
security sector. The GOG also needs to pass effective legislation to 
deal with money laundering, including provisions allowing forfeiture 
of seized assets. 
 
WILLIAMS