Postal Service steps up fight against drug trafficking via mail on Guam
- Admin
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Task force nets 780 lbs of illegal drugs and 29 arrests in four years
By Pacific Island Times News Staff
An anti-drug trafficking initiative led by the United States Postal Inspection Service on Guam has netted more than 780 lbs of controlled substances, leading to 29 arrests and seizure of more than $550,000 in suspected proceeds from narcotics trafficking over the past four years, according to a postal inspector.
The confiscated illegal drugs included more than 600 lbs of methamphetamines, the Postal Inspection Service said.
The postal service launched a crackdown on drug trafficking through
mail by creating the Guam Interdictions and Anti-Narcotics Trafficking, or GIANT, Task Force in 2021.
ADVERTISEMENT
The task force was formed with federal and local partners, including the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, the Guam Police Department, and the Guam Army National Guard Counter Drug Program.
The deputized task force officers from the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency and the Guam Police Department remain full-time employees of their respective agencies but are credentialed to investigate crimes involving the mail alongside postal inspectors.
"Thanks to the hard work, long hours, and shared commitment of our local and federal partners, the GIANT Task Force has been a resounding success in the fight to keep drugs out of the communities of Guam,” said Stephen Sherwood,
U.S. postal inspector in charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s San Francisco
Division.
While the task force has made accomplishments, Sherwood said its work is a continuing mission.
ADVERTISEMENT
In previous reports, local authorities disclosed that the primary means by which crystal methamphetamine is transported to Guam is by couriers or "mules" carrying the drug on commercial airline flights. The drug often is wrapped in duct tape and plastic, smeared with a topical analgesic to evade canine detection, and strapped to the body with gauze.
Other methods by which crystal methamphetamine is transported to Guam include shipment in U.S. mail, express service parcels such as FedEx and UPS, concealment in air and sea cargo, and smuggling by private vessels operating between Guam and the Northern Marianas.
Read related stories
“We recognize that Guam continues to grapple with serious drug-related challenges, but this operation reflects what is possible when our task
force officers are well-trained, well-supported, and focused on their mission,” said Col. Barbara C. Tayama, acting director of the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency.
“Guam is not merely a transit point, but our home, and keeping her safe demands constant vigilance and strategic coordination across agencies. The threat of narcotics trafficking does not pause, and neither can we.”
“The Guam Police Department remains committed to supporting the efforts of the GIANT Task Force. In collaboration with GPD’s Special Investigations
Section, and the Postal Inspection Service," said Stephen C. Ignacio, chief of police at the Guam Police Department.
"Our cooperation with fellow local and federal partners will significantly contribute to making the people of Guam safer by disrupting narcotics trafficking networks," he added.
While methamphetamine and marijuana have remained the top illegal substances being smuggled into Guam, authorities raised the alert to block further entry of fentanyl into the island.
Subscribe to
our digital
monthly edition
