-by Kristin Josiah

The United States is supporting Guyana’s efforts to strengthen its counter-narcotics and security capabilities, including measures to improve air and maritime-domain awareness.

U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot says Guyana’s growing economy and oil revenues could make the country increasingly attractive to transnational criminal organizations.

She says the United States is working with Guyana to strengthen its capacity to counter narcotics trafficking, online scams and transnational crime.

Theriot says Guyana’s participation in the Shield of the Americas and the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition is part of those efforts.

She says the United States is also contributing two million U.S. dollars to a cost-sharing initiative to improve Guyana’s air-domain awareness.

“For the counter narcotics we you’ll recall that when Deputy Secretary of State Landau was here last month he announced two million dollars that the U.S. Department of State was going to contribute to a cost-sharing initiative for air domain awareness. So we are going to contribute two million and the government of Guyana will contribute as well. And together we will increase your air domain awareness which means all those drug flights that we’ve seen increase over the last few months and the last year,” she said.

The Ambassador says the initiative will help Guyana better identify suspicious aircraft activity and strengthen its ability to address drug trafficking.

She says the United States has also provided the Guyana Defence Force with a coastal radar system to improve maritime-domain awareness.

Theriot says the United States and Guyana are working together to increase the country’s ability to counter transnational criminal organizations and drug traffickers.