President Irfaan Ali has reiterated the Guyana government’s unwavering support for regional and international efforts to combat narcotics trafficking, smuggling and other forms of transnational crime, stressing close cooperation with the United States and other global partners.
“We have a strong partnership with the U.S. and other international partners in dealing with every form of smuggling and drug trafficking,” President Ali told reporters on Wednesday evening after outlining a five-year blueprint aimed at accelerating national transformation and wealth creation.
“My administration has absolutely no sympathy for drug traffickers. Tens of thousands, millions of lives are destroyed, and also economies are destroyed by smuggling… We also see our region as one in which democracy must be able to thrive, in which the rule of law must win every single day, [and] in which the freedom of our people, wherever they live and exist, must be honoured. And that is an important element of any modern society, and we support the region being a zone of peace,” he added.
Ali’s remarks come amid heightened regional attention following large-scale U.S. military operations off the Venezuelan coast aimed at disrupting transnational crime and the illicit drug trade. Washington has faced criticism over those actions, particularly after the seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast and a subsequent order by U.S. President Donald Trump imposing a total blockade on all U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Asked to comment on the escalating situation, President Ali said Guyana respects Washington’s authority over its own sanctions regime.
“The United States government has access to more intelligence than anyone of us… So, we have to respect that these sanctions – and that is something every Guyanese need to understand: sanctions are a serious matter – and any action by the U.S. in relation to its own sanction mechanism is a matter for the United States Government,” he said.
Ali noted that while some regional governments have spoken out against U.S. operations in the southern Caribbean, Guyana’s position is shaped by its own security realities, including ongoing tensions with Venezuela.
“You know that we have a peculiar situation in Guyana. We just had Venezuelans being charged for terrorist activity in Guyana that claimed the life of [a] young person. We have a border situation to manage [whereby] we have an active threat from Venezuela on the sovereignty of this country. And my responsibility is to keep Guyanese safe, to keep Guyana safe, and to work with all our allies and partners in doing that. And I intend to continue to work strongly with our allies in doing exactly that,” the president said.
Only last week, senior U.S. officials — Patrick Weaver, senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Joseph Humire, acting assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere affairs — visited Guyana. During a high-level meeting at State House in Georgetown, President Ali and the U.S. delegation reaffirmed the strong security and military relationship between the two countries, grounded in shared commitments to peace, sovereignty and security in the Western Hemisphere.
Guyana and the United States also signed a Statement of Intent to expand joint military cooperation, with both sides emphasizing full respect for national sovereignty and domestic laws. The visiting officials also met with members of the Guyana Defence Force during their visit.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo echoed the government’s position on Thursday, reaffirming Guyana’s commitment to regional and international initiatives aimed at combating drug trafficking through close collaboration with Washington.
“We support any fight against drug traffickers, and we will work with the United States of America collaboratively to support all of their activities aimed at blocking illegal drugs from going to the United States of America, or coming to Guyana,” Jagdeo said at a press conference.
He emphasized that illicit drug trafficking remains a serious concern across the Caribbean and northern South America, noting that U.S. resources play a key role in addressing the problem. Jagdeo also underscored the importance of safeguarding Guyana’s territorial integrity.
“We’ve engaged with the United States of America. They have assured us that they will support us in protecting our territorial integrity and sovereignty. They’ve said this openly…I don’t want to embark on a speculative course as to what will happen, because we don’t know. If they were to attack Venezuela or to attack drug dealers in Venezuela, they wouldn’t tell the Government of Guyana first. I guess they will do it and tell their Congress, and we’ll know through the media,” he said.
The government’s statements come as regional and international partners continue to grapple with interconnected challenges posed by drug trafficking, smuggling and human trafficking, which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations moving between South America, the Caribbean and the United States.
