Guyana’s oil-driven economic boom and growing maritime trade may be increasing its exposure to transnational cocaine trafficking networks, particularly as smugglers adjust routes in response to intensified US interdiction efforts in the Caribbean, according to analysis by InSight Crime.

Recent drug seizures linked to cargo departing Guyana illustrate the scale of shipments that may be moving through the country’s ports. In mid February, customs authorities in Antwerp confiscated more than 1.8 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a container carrying oils that had left Guyana. Around the same time, officials in Cartagena intercepted 300 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a rice shipment that had also originated there.

James Singh, head of Guyana’s Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, told InSight Crime that both containers had been inspected before leaving the country. According to Singh, the seals were intact when the shipments departed, indicating that the cargo may have been tampered with later during transit.

Although Guyanese authorities have recorded relatively modest domestic seizures in recent years, past interdictions linked to the country suggest larger trafficking volumes may be involved. In 2024, authorities seized 236 kilograms of cocaine, while 85 kilograms were confiscated in 2023. 

However, earlier operations point to significantly larger shipments moving through the region. In August 2024, Guyanese officials seized 4.4 tonnes of cocaine with intelligence support from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Five months earlier, US authorities intercepted 2.4 tonnes aboard a semi-submersible vessel roughly 240 kilometres off the Guyanese coast. In another case, Belgian officials discovered 11.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in scrap metal shipments from Guyana in November 2020.

InSight Crime links the potential shift in trafficking routes to intensified US counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean. Since September 2025, US forces have conducted strikes against high-speed “go-fast” boats suspected of transporting cocaine from Venezuela’s northern coast, part of a months-long pressure campaign against president Nicolás Maduro, himself accused of links to drug cartels. Maduro was eventually captured by US forces on January 3 and whisked away to New York, where he faces narco-terrorism charges. Security sources and residents in the Venezuelan states of Sucre and Falcón told the outlet that these operations have disrupted established trafficking corridors through nearby Caribbean islands.

According to Singh, the strikes coincided with an increase in unregistered flights passing through Guyanese airspace, which he described as a possible indicator of traffickers exploring alternative routes further east.

The country’s economic transformation, buoyed by massive offshore oil finds since 2015, may also create new logistical opportunities for smuggling. Guyana is undergoing rapid development linked to its oil industry, including the construction or planning of several large port facilities. As a result, higher cargo volumes can expand legitimate trade but also increase the difficulty of detecting illicit shipments hidden among commercial goods.

At the same time, rapid economic growth may create avenues for financial laundering. The government reported that the construction sector expanded by roughly 30% in the past year, providing opportunities for criminals to blend illicit profits with legitimate investment through front companies, property purchases or cash-intensive businesses such as hotels, restaurants and casinos.

Guyana has taken steps to strengthen financial oversight. The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force concluded in its 2024 review that the country had improved its understanding of money laundering risks. However, the US State Department identified law enforcement capacity, particularly within the police force, as a potential weakness in the country’s anti-money laundering framework in its 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

President Irfaan Ali has publicly supported stronger regional action against organised crime. Speaking to Fox News on the sidelines of the Shield of the Americas summit hosted by Donald Trump in the United States on March 7, he said Caribbean and Latin American countries have long warned about the impact of transnational drug cartels operating across maritime borders and exclusive economic zones. Ali said Guyana supports coordinated measures aimed at countering narcotics trafficking and related criminal networks across the hemisphere.