Two Colombians and a Venezuelan national who were held here in connection with the discovery of an illegal airstrip at Orealla two Sundays ago were deported to their respective countries yesterday, Crime Chief (ag) Seelall Persaud said.
Persaud said the men were not only arrested in connection with the recent illegal airstrip find, but for other reasons. Police had rounded up the men from a city hotel last week Thursday and they were kept in custody and grilled about the airstrip. However, based upon reports the men have denied having any knowledge of the airstrip. Police said the men were here illegally for some time now.
In a statement, the GDF had said that it seized the illegal airstrip, which had a burnt-out aircraft with a Venezuelan flag on it, along with a still-smouldering all-terrain vehicle and a bulldozer, which was in the middle of the airstrip.
The military said it is believed that the airstrip was constructed to facilitate transshipment of narcotics and the conduct of illegal activities. The bulldozer that was found on the airstrip has been linked to two businessmen in the Corentyne area, one of whom had been accused in the past of having connections to the narcotics trade.
A GDF pilot during a routine flight had noticed the aircraft parked halfway up the airstrip and several persons clad in dark clothes emerging from the jungle. The GDF said the aircraft, a Let 410 turboprop that is manufactured by the Czech Republic, carried a Venezuelan flag and it appeared that it was severely damaged after attempting to take off and had skidded off to the right of the airstrip.
The GDF had observed that extensive construction work at the airstrip had begun since it was some 3,600 feet in length, which is longer than the Ogle aerodrome, and 375 feet in width, wider than Timehri runway.
However, only some 1,800 feet of it was usable and the construction seemed geared to upgrading the remainder of the airstrip. After seizing the airstrip, the army conducted several probing patrols and discovered a 25-ft trail that led for some two miles to the Corentyne River, which suggested that the bulldozer and other equipment might have been transported via the river.
A camp, which had a generator and foodstuff, was also found. Earlier this year the joint services had destroyed another illegal airstrip in the Orealla area. There were also reports of several aircraft sightings and landings at remote airstrips in the interior.
