U.S. boosts Guyana’s capacity to intercept illegal guns, ammo

Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 November 2024, 18:26 by Writer

The United States (U.S.) government has trained and equipped several officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) to intercept illicit firearms and ammunition, the embassy in Guyana said Tuesday.

“Training topics included firearms tracing, methods of illicit export, global and regional trends in small arms and light weapons detection, weapons identification and their components, forensic handling, vehicle search techniques, and emerging threats. The U.S. Embassy and INL also delivered specialized equipment – including density meters, metal detection wands, and tool kits – to the GRA,” the embassy said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy, through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the World Customs Organization (WCO), conducted a five-day training course with the GRA and CANU under a joint INL-WCO program, Project Bolt, now in its seocnd phase. The embassy said the training would support Guyana’s efforts to interdict illicit firearms and ammunition at major ports of entry and border controls.

The embassy said throughout the week, participants received practical training with presentations from experts from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, U.S. Customs Border and Protection, INTERPOL, and the WCO.

At the training’s opening ceremony on November 4, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Adrienne Galanek highlighted the cooperation between the United States and Guyana to combat illicit firearms trafficking and ensure stable and secure communities in the Caribbean.

Ms. Galanek noted that the U.S. Government works closely with local and regional partners, through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, to fund initiatives like Project Bolt that deepen security partnership with the Government of Guyana, while also directly tackling the illicit proliferation of firearms and ammunition in the region.

The further affirmed that “the United States believes strongly that we must take an active role in addressing this shared responsibility and remains committed to supporting Guyana’s front-line Customs officers with the necessary tools and knowledge to do their jobs effectively.”