Last year saw more than $1B in drugs taken off the streets of Guyana. But what appears to be more worrying for authorities over at the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) is the increased seizures of Methamphetamine, better known as “molly.”
CANU also reported that there was a significant reduction in the quantity of ecstasy seized during the period.
For 2022, a total of 302.6 grams of Methamphetamine was seized in 2022 compared to 154 grams in the previous year. In addition, 818.7 grams of ecstasy was seized in 2022 compared to 3.127kgs in 2021.
However, the year 2022 seemed like a very difficult one for drug smugglers, as CANU seized more than $1B worth of illegal drugs, with marijuana being the most seized drug of 2022.
CANU revealed that while a number of cases are still before the courts stemming from seizures in 2022, 42 persons were convicted last year. The seizures last year represent a 68.26% increase when compared to the corresponding year. In 2022, over 3400 kilograms of drugs were seized.
The data further illustrated that in 2022, a total of 3,280.25 kgs of marijuana was seized when compared to 1,977 kgs in 2021. Also, 121.31 kilos of cocaine was seized in 2022, compared to 41.093kgs in 2021. Region 4, being the most populated district, accounted for the majority of the seizures in 2022.
In 2022, Region 4 recorded 62% of the overall number of seizures, followed by Region 6 with 23%; Region 9 with 7% and Region 3 with 6%. The bauxite district, Region 10, only accounted for 2% of the seizures.
The statistics also revealed that all types of illegal drugs were found in Region 4 with cocaine totalling some 104.49 kgs, cannabis 410.12 kgs, meth 302.6 grams, ecstasy 366 grams and cannabis seeds 1kg.
