A series of coordinated eradication exercises by the Guyana Police Force’s Narcotics Branch on Tuesday has resulted in the destruction of more than $812M worth of cannabis, along with the seizure of an unlicensed shotgun and ammunition in the Berbice region.
The all-day operations, which stretched from the early hours of the morning into the evening, targeted areas within the Wiruni Savannahs, Wiruni Creek, and the Hitia Savannahs in the Upper Berbice River, where police unearthed cultivation fields, makeshift camps, drying areas, and concealed stashes of marijuana.
The first of the operations began at approximately 04:00h in the Wiruni Savannahs. During this exercise, police ranks discovered an expansive eight-acre plot of land that had already been cleared and was being prepared for cannabis cultivation. Not far from the field, they located a makeshift camp measuring about 30 by 20 feet. 
The camp contained a living area, a kitchen, and a drying section where a significant cache of narcotics was discovered. Officers found approximately 1400 pounds of dried cannabis inside, which was later valued at $571,525,920.
In addition to the narcotics, further searches within the camp led to the recovery of a twelve-gauge shotgun bearing no serial number, along with nine matching cartridges. Both the firearm and the ammunition were seized and transported to the Narcotics Branch before being submitted to the Police Force’s Ballistics Section for testing.
Once the evidence was removed, the camp and all of the dried cannabis were destroyed by fire. Police confirmed that the entire operation was conducted without incident.
A second exercise was carried out later that morning between 09:30h and 13:00h along the Wiruni Creek. On this occasion, police discovered a five-acre plot of land that contained about two thousand cannabis plants ranging in height from two to five feet. As with the first site, a makeshift camp measuring 30 by 20 feet and outfitted with both a living and kitchen area was found close to the cultivation.
Officers also located a drying section, where about 580 pounds of dried cannabis were stored. When valued, the destroyed narcotics in this operation amounted to $237,452,624.
That figure included $667,600 for the cannabis plants and $236,775,024 for the dried marijuana.
Both the camp and all of the cannabis were destroyed by fire on site.
Police operations continued later in the afternoon, and between 16:00h and 18:00h another site was uncovered along the Wiruni Creek.
This third discovery was a three-acre cultivation plot containing approximately ten thousand cannabis plants. The plants, which also measured between two and five feet in height, carried an estimated value of $3,388,000. Although no dried cannabis was found at this particular location, the plants were destroyed by fire to ensure that none could be harvested for trafficking.
While these operations were being carried out, another patrol team from the Narcotics Branch extended its efforts into the Hitia Savannahs. Their searches lasted from 04:30h until 19:40h.
At around 17:35h, while in the vicinity of a bridge, officers detected the strong scent of cannabis. A closer inspection of the area led them to a clump of bushes, where three bulky plastic bags were discovered. Each of the bags contained cannabis, and when weighed, the total amounted to 81.2 pounds. The suspected narcotics were lodged with the officer in charge of the Narcotics Branch for safekeeping.
By the end of the day, the police confirmed that more than twelve thousand cannabis plants had been destroyed, along with nearly two thousand pounds of dried marijuana. Four makeshift camps and drying facilities were also dismantled, and an unlicensed twelve-gauge shotgun with nine cartridges was removed from circulation.
The combined value of the narcotics destroyed during the operations was calculated at more than $812M.
According to the Guyana Police Force, the eradication exercises were carried out without incident. Authorities emphasised that the successful raids form part of the ongoing strategy to dismantle large-scale narcotics cultivation networks operating in Guyana’s interior, particularly in remote regions along the Upper Berbice River.
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