Death threat against CANU chief launches massive probe

Last Updated on Monday, 27 April 2026, 21:19 by Writer

Almost 24 years after Guyana’s then deputy anti-drug czar was gunned down while buying newspapers, the current Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh, is being threatened on social media, prompting a wide-scale investigation.

“Any threat against the life of a public official is a serious criminal matter. Law enforcement agencies have launched an active investigation to determine the origin, authenticity, and intent of the video, and all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety and security of those targeted,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

The threat takes the form of a hooded man with what seems to be a handgun pointed at an image of Mr Singh.

The ministry said the threat comes at a time of intensified anti-narcotics enforcement, marked, for instance, by CANU’s removal of 371 kilogrammes of narcotics from circulation and the disruption of multiple trafficking networks through sustained, intelligence-led operations.

“While this context is noted, it does not prejudge the outcome of the ongoing investigation.”

Two years ago, CANU agents and Guyanese soldiers had discovered 4.4 tonnes of cocaine stashed in bunkers near an illegal airstrip in Matthews Ridge, North West District.

The government of Guyana said “intimidation will not succeed” and “threats against law enforcement officials will be met with the full force of the law.”

The home affairs ministry vowed that government’s national effort to dismantle organised criminal networks, both domestic and transnational, would “continue with resolve, coordination, and unwavering focus.”

“No individual or group will be allowed to undermine the rule of law or threaten those tasked with upholding it.”

Then deputy CANU head, Vibert Inniss was riddled with bullets in his car when he had stopped on the Buxton Public Road to purchase newspapers on August 23, 2002, six months after a violent jailbreak that had spawned into heavily armed gangs apparently with a fusion of motives.

Senior American law enforcement agents had been among those who attended his funeral service.