On June 5, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned four Guyanese nationals and two Colombian nationals. This action follows an investigation led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations’ New York field office in collaboration with various law enforcement partners. These individuals are accused of trafficking large quantities of cocaine from South America to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.
The sanctions target drug traffickers who utilize boats and narco-subs to transport cocaine, along with a purportedly corrupt Guyanese law enforcement official. Additionally, these measures focus on those operating covert airstrips for drug trafficking via aircraft.
Guyana has reportedly been used as a transshipment point for drugs moving from South America to the United States for decades. Mexican drug cartels are also present in this region. The substantial profits generated from international cocaine trafficking continue to pose a significant threat to U.S. national security by funding cartel operations.
This action is part of Executive Order 14059, which aims to combat illicit drug proliferation and production methods. The investigation was coordinated with multiple agencies including ICE HSI Bogota, DEA offices in Guyana and New York, Customs and Border Protection Office of Intelligence New York, Internal Revenue Service New York, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. Assistance was also provided by NYPD Intelligence Bureau, CBP New York, and the New York National Guard Counterdrug Task Force.
According to findings from this investigation:
Guyana's geographic location near the Caribbean and alleged corruption at its ports facilitate undetected transit of aircraft and maritime vessels known as narco-submarines through its waters. Drug traffickers take advantage of South America's rivers and jungles to move large quantities of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela through Guyana and Suriname.
In recent years, joint U.S.-Guyanese law enforcement efforts have led to major cocaine seizures. In March 2025, a cargo vessel originating in Guyana was found by police near Trinidad and Tobago carrying approximately 182 kilograms of cocaine.
On February 20, the State Department designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
On March 21, 2024, U.S. and Guyanese authorities seized 2,370 kilograms of cocaine from a semi-submersible about 150 miles off Guyana's coast.
In August 2024, Guyanese authorities supported by DEA and DSS discovered 4.4 tons of cocaine at a clandestine airfield in Barima-Waini or Region One in northwest Guyana.
More information is available including the full press release announcing these OFAC sanctions.
