Guyana and the United States have signed a Letter of Agreement to establish and support projects aimed at countering money-laundering and narcotics operation over the next three years.
The Letter of Agreement, which was signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodriguez and U.S. Charge d’ Affaires Thomas Pierre in Georgetown covers two key areas, law enforcement support and tracking money laundering, according to a release from the U.S. Embassy in Guyana.
‘The law enforcement support is designed to enhance Guyana Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) capability to conduct counter-narcotics operations at Guyana’s ports of entry,” states the release.
It added that “the counter money laundering program will provide assistance to the Guyana Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and assists government entities to enforce anti-money laundering legislation.”
Both of the projects will run for three years.
The agreement comes in the wake of the embarrassing transit of a container with cocaine from a local port in Guyana to Jamaica worth some $13 million.
Since 9/11, the U.S. has worked with regional countries to improve port security.
The Caribbean Basin Initiative is a partnership between the United States of America and Caribbean nations designed to advance citizen security in the region.
The agreement is part of a bigger promotion of assistance to the Caribbean Region, which includes more than $45 million in the first year.
The security partnership, the release states “was developed together with Caribbean governments and fulfils President Barack Obama’s commitment to deepen regional security cooperation made at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad in April, 2009.”
