WASHINGTON
— The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned six individuals accused of trafficking large quantities of cocaine from South America to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean, following a multi-agency investigation led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York.
Announced on Thursday, the sanctions target four Guyanese nationals and two Colombian nationals alleged to be central figures in an international drug trafficking operation. The group reportedly used maritime vessels and narco-submarines to transport cocaine, as well as covert airstrips to move narcotics by aircraft.
The network is also believed to have included a corrupt Guyanese law enforcement official who facilitated drug movements through the country’s ports and borders. Guyana’s geography and alleged systemic corruption have long made it a transit point for narcotics moving from Colombia and Venezuela toward the U.S. and other destinations.
The Treasury Department’s action was taken under Executive Order 14059, which targets the global trade and production of illicit drugs. The investigation was carried out in collaboration with HSI offices in New York and Bogotá, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, the Internal Revenue Service, and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
Sanctions target transport methods and transshipment routes
According to investigators, traffickers exploited river systems, dense jungle, and loosely monitored maritime routes through Guyana and Suriname to move cocaine. In one recent example, authorities in Trinidad and Tobago intercepted a cargo vessel from Guyana in March, seizing approximately 182 kilograms of cocaine.
The Sinaloa Cartel, designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization in February, is known to operate in the region and is suspected of maintaining ties to the sanctioned trafficking network.
U.S. officials say these sanctions are part of broader efforts to disrupt drug supply chains fueling cartel activity and international crime.
