The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday confirmed that the plane that crash landed in a savannah in Orealla on Thursday was found with 453 kilogrammes (equivalent to 998 pounds) of suspected cocaine aboard.
In a statement, the GPF said the pilot and lone passenger of the four-seater Bonanza Beechcraft, Salem Nobrega De Alencar, 64, and Andre Luiz Pereira, 31, suspected to be Brazilians, were immediately arrested after the discovery was made by law enforcers.
According to the police, the initial search of the aircraft was carried out by divisional ranks, after which the force’s SWAT team, the Guyana Defence Force and the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit were mobilised and dispatched to the scene from Camp Ayanganna aboard the GDF’s BEL-412 helicopter.
“A thorough search of the aircraft was conducted and a total of 453 packages containing 453 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine were found, along with 2 Global Positioning Systems, 1 Radio Set, 3 Mobile Smartphones, 2 Identification Cards and the Aircraft Registration Documents”, the statement disclosed.
The plane is registered overseas.
Stabroek News previously reported that the plane, PT-SRR crash-landed just before 2 pm on Thursday.
This publication was told, that the men had told residents of the riverine community that they were visiting the area for leisure but started to experience some mechanical issues in the air, causing their fuel to run out and forcing them to crash-land in the area.
They had requested to purchase a large amount of fuel from residents but residents instead became suspicious and immediately contacted the local ranks stationed in the area. The law enforcers quickly questioned the men and conducted a search of the aircraft, which uncovered the suspected cocaine.
Meanwhile, residents reported yesterday afternoon that the large group of lawmen, suspects and items had remained in the area due to the inclement weather.
Their continued presence in the area has alarmed some residents, who told Stabroek News that they are hoping for police to remove the suspects and suspected cocaine at the earliest possible time.
