The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday issued sanctions against 10 individuals, including four Guyanese, after it first targeted businessman Shell Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed, and their businesses; the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mae Thomas, was also sanctioned at the time of the Mohameds a year ago.
Himnauth Sawh, who is a Senior Superintendent of the Guyana Police Force serving currently in the Force’s Projects Office, is among the four Guyanese now sanctioned. He was the police officer in charge of Region One (Barima-Waini) when a Special Forces operation discovered cocaine weighing four and a half tonnes, estimated to be worth 176 million Euros (US$195 million). The cocaine was found in four hand-dug pits, about five to six feet deep, neatly camouflaged with wood, tarpaulin and bush.
Joining the list of those sanctioned by OFAC is Paul Daby Jr. whose father, Paul Daby Snr, died in Colombia in 2021 from COVID-19 complications. Over a decade ago, Daby was named as a person of interest in a murder case, but charges were never filed against him after he was questioned.
The other Guyanese individuals identified are Mark Cromwell, known as ‘Demon’ and ‘Diamond,’ and Randolph Duncan.
At the time the Mohameds were sanctioned, it was noted by OFAC that financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action.
The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
On the OFAC website, the U.S. stated that these individuals have been added to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.
The U.S SDN list usually includes individuals, companies and entities that are subject to economic and trade sanctions due to their involvement in activities such as terrorism, drug trafficking, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights abuses, organized crime and support for sanctioned governments.
See below the descriptions of the Guyanese sanctioned:
CROMWELL, Mark (a.k.a. “Demon”; a.k.a. “Diamond”), Lot 40 Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, Guyana; Lot 10 Buxton, East Coast Demerara, Guyana; DOB 29 Mar 1982; POB Guyana; nationality Guyana; citizen Guyana; Gender Male (individual) [ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059].
DABY JR., Paul (a.k.a. DABY RAMSUCHIT, Paul; a.k.a. “Randell”; a.k.a. “Rondell”), 127 D’Aguiar Park, Georgetown, Guyana; DOB 06 Jul 1985; POB Georgetown, Guyana; nationality Guyana; citizen Guyana; Gender Male; Passport R0232980 (Guyana); National ID No. 112094656 (Guyana) (individual) [ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059].
DUNCAN, Randolph (a.k.a. “DUNCAN, Rudolph”), Guyana; DOB 18 Feb 1970; POB Georgetown, Guyana; nationality Guyana; citizen Guyana; Gender Male; Cedula No. V-25086099 (Venezuela) (individual) [ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059].
SAWH, Himnauth, Guyana; DOB 03 Jun 1988; POB Cane Grove, Guyana; nationality Guyana; Gender Male; Passport R0293133 (Guyana) (individual) [ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059].
The United States Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday issued a new General Licence, titled General License 1: Authorising the Wind Down of Transactions Involving Persons Blocked as part of a new sanctions regime.
The designations form part of broader counter-narcotics and international justice measures and come amid renewed scrutiny of Guyana’s role in the transnational drug trade — a long-standing concern of US and international authorities.
According to US intelligence assessments, Guyana continues to serve as a key transshipment point for the trafficking of cocaine from South America to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Image released by The United States (U.S.) Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
Drug traffickers reportedly exploit the dense jungles and sprawling rivers of the region, moving large shipments of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela through the territorial waters of Guyana and neighbouring Suriname.
Authorities say Guyana’s geographical proximity to the Caribbean, coupled with alleged corruption at ports and border crossings, has enabled the use of maritime vessels — including so-called “narco-submarines” — to evade detection while transporting narcotics across the Atlantic.
In addition to maritime routes, traffickers are known to use small aircraft to ferry cocaine into Guyana from Colombia and Venezuela, often landing on illegal airstrips deep within the country’s interior. Intelligence reports note that underground bunkers located along airstrips and within the jungle — particularly in Guyana’s Barima-Waini region — have been used to conceal drug shipments. These loads are then transported by air to overseas markets in the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.
The U.S. Treasury’s latest actions underscore growing international pressure on countries implicated in the global drug trade. While the newly issued General Licence provides a short-term legal framework for winding down certain transactions, enforcement agencies are expected to intensify efforts to curb the flow of narcotics and hold accountable those involved in trafficking operations.
The post Senior cop among second wave of U.S. sanctions to hit Guyana after Mohameds appeared first on News Room Guyana.
