“Narco subs” trafficking cocaine targeted in latest U.S. sanction

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“Narco subs” trafficking ******** targeted in latest U.S. sanction

Six accused drug traffickers allegedly using boats and “narco subs” to traffic ******** were hit with U.S. sanctions, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control

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 Thursday.

Four Guyanese nationals — Paul Daby Jr., Randolph Duncan, Mark Cromwell, Himnauth Sawh — and two Colombians — Yeison Andres Sanchez Vallejo and Manuel Salazar Gutierrez — were sanctioned for allegedly trafficking tons of ******** from South America to the United States, Europe and the Caribbean, officials said. 

Daby Jr. and Duncan operate the largest drug trafficking operation in Guayana, according to U.S. officials, using “narco subs” — a semi-submersible vessel that can’t fully go underwater — airstrips and various individuals in their smuggling efforts. Daby Jr. also transports ******** gold from Guyana, while Duncan traffics ******** from Guyana to Africa and the Caribbean to Europe and the United States, the Treasury said.

The Treasury Department said Cromwell, a former Guyana police officer, is wanted for his alleged role in the abduction of another Guyana police officer in 2024. Sawh, a Guyana police officer, is accused of facilitating safe passage for ******** and Venezuelan drug traffickers sending ******** through Guyana. Colombians Sanchez and Salazar are accused of overseeing airstrips used by aircraft smuggling ******** from Colombia to Guyana, the Treasury said.

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Authorities in Guyana intercepted a semi-submersible vessel, or “narco sub,” in 2024 used for trafficking drugs across South America and internationally. 

INTERPOL

“As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC,” the Treasure Department said.

Guyana has become a major hotspot for running ******** through the South American country to the United States and Europe. U.S. Treasury officials in their statement said a combination of Guyana’s proximity to the Caribbean and alleged corruption at its ports and along its borders help aircraft and “narco subs” move through the country’s waters without being detected.

Despite crackdown attempts, authorities have discovered record amounts of ******** in homemade “narco subs”  transversing through rivers threading the country’s jungles. In March 2025, a cargo vessel originating in Guyana was discovered by police in the waters off Trinidad and Tobago with approximately 182 kilograms of ********, U.S. officials said. 

Last year, authorities found more than 8,000 pounds of ******** in a lush jungle near the border with Venezuela. “Narco subs” can transport as much as 3 tons of ******** at a time. Interpol, the intergovernmental organization that facilitates international policing, warned that traffickers in the region can steer semi-submersibles through the rivers of South America before crossing the Atlantic Ocean and eventually arriving in Western Europe. 

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at *****@*****.tld

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