Guyana Drug Information Network 2017 Annual Report

Source: Guyana Drug Information Network (GUYDIN), Guyana's National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA)

Executive Summary

The 2017 Drug Information Network report highlights the national effort to address the drug problem by agencies involved in both supply and demand reduction activities. It also provides trend analysis for the past three (3) years to assess how our efforts are progressing yearly.

Drug Demand reduction is a strategic way of addressing the drug problem by focusing on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The 2013 study on drug use among students revealed that more than 40% of our teenagers nationwide are not aware of the risks associated with any form of substance use. It is this category of students that our prevention programmes targets to equip our youth with the information and tools necessary to make informed decisions about drugs and its consequences. For the period under review, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Education and Social Life Issues were involved in a number of drug awareness programmes as a prevention measure. For 2017, these programmes reached over 900 persons and were geared towards improving and increasing access to drug awareness among the youths, training of professionals to address the issue of drug use in schools, communities and other at- risk populations.

An analysis of treatment data for 2017 from the Phoenix Recovery Project and the Salvation Army Men’s Social Service found that 39% of the treatment population abused cocaine and its derivatives while marijuana single handily accounts for 33% of the most abuse illicit substance. The majority of persons in treatment are males while just under 10% are females. The data also shows that 84% of persons in treatment for the period under review used more than one drug while the remaining 16% used only one drug. For 2017, 3,461 drivers were charged for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI). This data is an illustration that more sensitization must be done to make persons aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. Looking at treatment data from 2015-2017, there is a noted gradual increase in the number of persons seeking treatment: from 87 persons in 2015 to 106 in 2017.

For 2017, a total of 124 drug seizures occurred among law enforcement agencies. The Guyana Police Force-Narcotics Branch was responsible for 72% of all seizures and CANU was responsible for 28% of seizures for 2017. Overall, marijuana plants were eradicated from a total of 34 acres of land, spanning 20 fields over 15 operations. 204,400 plants were eradicated with a total of 117,531.67 KG of marijuana taken off the market, the substance had an estimated street value of over $20 Billion Guyana Dollars.
During 2017, about 7,250 pieces of drug evidence was submitted to the Guyana Forensics Science Laboratory for analysis for presence and identification of the types of narcotics from various Police Divisions A to G. These pieces of evidence were a part of 463 drug case investigations. Additionally, regarding the evidence submitted for analysis there was a 99.2% positivity rate for marijuana, 96.7% positivity rate for cocaine, 100% positivity for ecstasy, 100% positivity for methamphetamine and 100% for heroin.
For the year under review, a total of 262 persons were charged with drug possession.

Of this number, 244 (93%) were charged for possession of marijuana and 18 (7%) for possession of cocaine. All charges were made by the Guyana Police Force. Of the 244 persons charged for possession of marijuana, 7 (3%) were females above the age of 18 years. Of the 237 (97%) males that were charged for this crime, 38 (16%) were below the age of 18 years.

For this period, a total of 196 persons were convicted for the possession of narcotics. Of this number, 177 (90%) were convicted for possession of marijuana, while 19 (10%) were convicted for possession of cocaine. In total 39 (18%) juveniles were convicted of this crime. Additionally, of the 177 persons convicted for possession of marijuana, it was noted that 11 (6%) are females, all above the age of 18 and of the 166 males, 38 (23%) were below the age of 18 years.

During this period, a total of 423 persons were charged for the trafficking of narcotics: 29 by CANU and 394 by the Guyana Police Force. Of this number, 370 persons were charged for trafficking marijuana, 52 for trafficking cocaine and 1 for trafficking heroin. In total, 49 women were charged for this crime, with 37 being charged for trafficking marijuana, 11 for cocaine and 1 for heroin. For the same period, 110 persons were convicted for trafficking narcotics. 89 persons were convicted for trafficking marijuana and 21 for trafficking cocaine. In total, 6 women were convicted for trafficking marijuana while 9 women were convicted for trafficking cocaine.

During 2017, the Center for Latin American Studies on Crime and Violence of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) sponsored a study on Inmates in Guyana. In evaluating the results of this study, it was found that the majority of inmates has been exposed to substance use. 6 out of 10 had consumed marijuana at least once in their life, while 7% had consume cocaine or crack and other 6% has consumed pills or ecstasy. Moreover, when we look at the gender distribution of the prison population by the type of offence committed, we see that while of the women made up less than 5% of the prison population, the vast majority was there for drug offences (54%), as compared to men who made up 96% of the prison population, and only 16.9% were incarcerated for drug related offences.

Further, results from a study on Indigenous Women and Children in Guyana conducted by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) found that the use of alcohol and drugs has increased overtime in Amerindian villages which are contributors to social issues such as violence particularly in Baramita, Orealla and Waramadong Village.