Guyana’s forensic lab professionals benefit from US training on synthetic drug detection

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently hosted forensic laboratory professionals from the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL) at DEA’s Southeast Laboratory in Miami at a specialised training exchange to strengthen U.S.-Guyana cooperation on synthetic drug detection and reporting through DEA’s Global Uniform Analysis and Reporting of Drug-Related Substances (GUARDS) program.

The GFSL joined forensic lab directors, chemists, and quality assurance managers from the Saint Lucia Forensic Science Laboratory, Jamaica Institute of Forensic Science & Legal Medicine, and The Royal Bahamas Police Force Forensic Laboratory at the technical exchange. The DEA training combined theoretical instruction with hands-on Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) laboratory practices. Participants also observed DEA laboratory personnel process a 200-kilogram bulk seizure of suspected cocaine, providing real-world context for the advanced techniques.

This collaboration directly supports the Department’s implementation of Executive Order 14367, which designates fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. The initiative addresses a critical capability gap by rapidly strengthening regional synthetic narcotic and fentanyl detection, safe handling, evidence preservation, and reporting in Guyana and across the Caribbean.

The United States remains committed to collaborating with Guyana and Caribbean nations to combat the evolving threat of synthetic drugs. This training represents a significant step forward in developing the regional forensic capabilities necessary to detect and interdict fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics that are killing Americans and threatening our hemisphere.

The GFSL’s participation in the DEA technical exchange was funded by INL under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, a U.S. security cooperation program with Guyana and 12 other Caribbean countries to degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations, curb illicit narcotics, and deepen regional security cooperation.