Guyana’s newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Oneidge Walrond, has signalled a stronger, more investigative approach to tackling the country’s persistent drug trade, promising to ask the difficult questions that many citizens have long wanted answered.
Addressing concerns that the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has mainly been netting “small fish”. At the same time, the major drug lords remain untouched, Walrond said it would be premature to conclude that CANU has not been doing enough. Still, she acknowledged the issue resonates deeply with the public.
“It often seems that it’s the smaller men being placed before the court. However, to reach the leaders of cartels, it takes years of careful, intelligence-driven police work. These individuals are rarely in direct possession of drugs, and that makes building a successful prosecution much harder,” she explained.
Drawing on her own law enforcement background, Minister Walrond pledged to examine the source of Guyana’s narcotics flow, suggesting that a “bigger nest” may need to be disturbed if the cycle is to be broken. She emphasised patience, persistence, and smarter policing as essential tools in dismantling organised crime networks.
While she has not yet held in-depth discussions on cartel leadership, Walrond noted that the country has seen consistent drug seizures of marijuana and cocaine in recent months. The goal now, she stressed, is to push beyond street-level busts and strike at the heart of organised criminal rings.
For a justice system long criticised for being reactive rather than strategic, Walrond’s comments hint at a shift toward intelligence-led law enforcement. If carried through, this could mark the beginning of a more accountable, far-reaching approach to crime—one that citizens have been hoping to see for years.
