Former Barima/Waini Region One Divisional Commander, Senior Superintendent Himnauth Sawh, who was on duty at the time of the more than four-tonnes cocaine bust last year, is among four Guyanese who were yesterday sanctioned by the United States for being involved in the global illicit drug trade.
In what will be seen as a major blow to the image of law enforcement here, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that Sawh, ex-policeman Mark Cromwell, called ‘Demon’, Paul Daby Jr, and miner, Randolph Duncan, were among a list of six persons, which included two Colombians who were sanctioned under Executive Order 14059, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons involved in the global illicit drug trade.
A release was also issued by OFAC which stated that traffickers are using Guyana as a cocaine transshipment point to the United States. The two Colombians named in the OFAC are Manuel Salazar Gutierrez, and Yeison Andres Sanchez Vallejo. The latter had been charged here back in 2018 with trafficking 11.4 kilogrammes of cocaine from the Pomeroon.
“Guyanese national Himnauth Sawh (Sawh), a law enforcement officer of the GPF, has ensured safe passage to Colombian and Venezuelan traffickers through Region One. In September 2024, following the discovery of 4.4 tons of cocaine in Region One by Guyanese officials, Sawh was removed as Divisional Com-mander of Region One and assigned to the GPF’s Transport Workshop,” OFAC said in a statement of its actions.
President Irfaan Ali last night told reporters that Sawh had been sent on administrative leave with immediate effect and that government has asked the US for assistance in obtaining additional information to assist with further actions. “These developments are being taken seriously. I’ve already spoken with the Ambas-sador and requested all the relevant information so that we can take the appropriate action locally.”
Sawh, a senior superintendent, was the commander in charge of Region One when a joint operation involving the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU), and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), resulted in a 4.4 tonnes cocaine bust at Matthews Ridge.
To date, no one has been charged here for that bust which was estimated to fetch a value of €176 million or more than US$200 million. The drugs were found in four separate pits just off the airstrip and said to be camouflaged with tarpaulin and bush and packaged in what appeared to be cardboard boxes which were then sealed in transparent plastic bags. The well-sealed and secured drugs were neatly packaged in parcels that weighed one kilogramme each. The total amount was written with markers on the bags. The names of persons – presumably to be delivered to – were printed on the packages. Two rifles were also recovered during the exercise.
Sawh was transferred to the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Project Office and was serving up to yesterday when the sanctions hit. On Tuesday, the GPF posted his photo on its Facebook Page, wishing him a Happy Birthday.
When asked last night if he felt blindsided by the sanctions and Sawh’s involvement, President Ali said that he would not use that word and pointed out and that while he is not directly involved with investigations and police work, he is sure that there was “engagement from the security front” before OFAC’s actions.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, following questions from the media, yesterday evening issued a release stating that it welcomed the actions by OFAC and that Sawh has been sent on administrative leave with immediate effect, to facilitate further investigations.
Questions will be asked about by the government had no concerns about Sawh’s possible complicity in this matter as the bust occurred since September 1st last year.
The government, through the Attorney General’s Office, according to the release, will request details from OFAC via the Department of Justice, to facilitate further investigation. Those details will guide the actions of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and by extension, the Government of Guyana, the ministry said.
Wanted man and ex-policeman, Mark Cromwell, also known as ‘Demon’ has also been sanctioned. OFAC lists his addresses as Lot 40 Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, Guyana, and Lot 10 Buxton, East Coast Demerara, and gives his date of birth as 29th March 1982.
The police issued two wanted bulletins for him in relation to the May 7, 2024, kidnapping of former policeman, Delon Alexander, called ‘Portmore’ of Buxton, East Coast Demerara. It is unclear what efforts were made to have him arrested.
Portmore was abducted in Buxton last year when he left home to purchase pastries and bread. Eyewitness had linked Cromwell among four men who had placed him in a car and drove off with him, not before shooting him in the legs and telling him that “the boss man want see you.”
Meanwhile, Paul Daby Jr who turns 40 next month and whose address is listed 127 D’Aguiar Park, Georgetown, is the son of deceased controversial businessman Paul Daby Sr, also known as ‘Uncle Paul’. Daby Jr was last year charged with disorderly behaviour, causing obstruction with a motor vehicle, and five counts of abusive language. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of $30,000. The police had charged him following his disorderly behavior at a police roadblock.
Daby’s father who once owned the Rio Night Club, died in Colombia in 2021, where he was flown on a private jet to seek treatment after contracting the COVID-19 virus here and being hospitalised at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. He had had a number of run-ins with police ranging from questioning about illegal firearms to the execution of Ricardo Rodrigues who was a close associate of convicted drug Kingpin Roger Khan.
As it pertains to miner Randolph Duncan, this newspaper understands that he operates a mining camp in Region One and in January of this year police had seized illegal firearms and drugs at the location. Duncan was not at the camp at that time and it is unclear what happened to that case.
Meanwhile, OFAC stated that for decades, Guyana has been a transshipment point for the movement of drugs from South America to the United States and Europe.
“Drug traffickers exploit the rivers and jungles of South America by transiting large quantities of cocaine, from Colombia and Venezuela, through the waters of Guyana and Suriname. Guyana’s proximity to the Caribbean, as well as reported corruption along its ports and borders, allow maritime vessels, also known as narco-submarines, to transit through its waters undetected. Traffickers utilize these vessels to smuggle cocaine from the ports of Guyana and Suriname, across the Atlantic, to the United States, Europe, and the Carib-bean. Traffickers also coordinate the importation of cocaine loads from Colombia and Venezuela to Guyana via small aircraft, utilizing illegal airstrips in Guyana as landing spots,” OFAC reported.
The agency pointed to the cocaine which had been discovered buried in underground bunkers located on airstrips and in jungle territory, with Guyana’s Barima/Waini region as “a prominent location.”
“Cocaine is then flown, via aircraft, to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean,” OFAC said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs release stated that the Govern-ment of Guyana remains “unwavering in its commitment to eradicating drug trafficking and dismantling criminal networks that facilitate these illegal activities.”
It added, “Through robust enforcement strategies and enhanced monitoring measures, authorities will continue to fully pursue and prosecute offenders. This underscores the government’s dedication to preserving the integrity of the nation’s security interests.”
The release also noted that the Government of Guyana, with the support of the Government of the United States, “will continue to pool efforts to combat this threat. Guyana will continue to demonstrate its commitment to working with the US in the fight against drug trafficking. This was evident when the US and Guyana’s Joint Inter-Agency Task Force, including the Guyana Defence Force, collaborated to seize 4.4 metric tonnes of cocaine worth approximately USD 195,000,000 in September 2024 – our largest ever drug seizure. The Government of Guyana will continue to work diligently with the US counterparts on this matter and other matter of mutual interests.”
