Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, 16:13 by Writer
Guyana, under the umbrella of the United States (U.S.)-led Shield of the Americas, has agreed to impose a range of sanctions on the violent Haitian gang Viv Ansanm and 23 other narco-terrorist groups operating in several countries of the Americas.
“We declare our intention to impose, as applicable and in accordance with our respective international and domestic legal obligations, asset freezes; immigration and visa restrictions for members, associates, and supporters of the organizations; and criminal liability for individuals knowingly providing material support, including logistical support, to the organizations, among other measures,” the participating states of the Shield of the Americas said in a “Joint Statement on Defending Hemispheric Sovereignty” after their meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines if the United Nations General Assembly being held in New York.
Viv Ansanm, a coalition of gangs, led by notorious former policeman Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, is widely regarded as being behind major political instability and opposition to democratic elections unless it is part of the process.
Also targeted by the first joint action under their newly announced pillars: individual and collective action to confront the scourge of narco-terrorism are the Venezuelan gangs — Tren de Aragua and Cartel de Los Soles.
In the past, the Guyana government had expressed concern that Tren de Aragua members had been crossing from Venezuela into Guyana’s Essequibo region.
Before Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro was ousted from power by U.S. forces on January 3, he was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for being a member of Cartel del Los Soles.
Brazil’s largest criminal organisation, First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC), regarded as that country’s largest criminal organization, and the decades-old major drug group, Comando Vermelho (CV), are also on the list of 24 blacklisted groups.
Their decision to impose those sanctions is in recognition of an immediate and universally shared threat in their hemisphere posed by transnational narco-terrorist organizations, which endanger the peace and security of the Western hemisphere along with the safety, security, and prosperity of their citizens.
In order to impose those sanctions, the Shield of the Americas’ members said they intend to co-sign a formal request to the President of the Organization of American States Permanent Council requesting a meeting of consultation to decide on the establishment of an Organ of Consultation under Articles 6 and 13 of the Inter-American Treaty on Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty).
The Shield of the Americas members — United States of America, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago — also agreed to defend democratic governance against armed narco-terrorist networks including coordinating on sanctions, designations, and financial actions against terrorists and criminals; expansion of civilian law enforcement, and supplying humanitarian and messaging assistance to defend popular will.
They also pledged to defend and promote mutual respect for national sovereignty and each nation’s self-determination through multilateral fora to coordinate and advance shared objectives and proposals, such as catalysing international enforcement actions against transnational organized criminal groups or pursuing needed reforms to multilateral organisations.
