The two Brazilian men who were remanded after they were busted with close to 1,000 pounds of cocaine when their plane crash-landed at Orealla, have been released on $3 million bail each.
Salem Nobrega De Alencar, 64, and Andre Luiz Pereira, 31, were previously remanded by Magistrate Alex Moore when they appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court. However at yesterday’s hearing, Magistrate Moore granted them bail at a sum of $3 million, each, and instructed them to return to court on September 23.
The men were charged with illegal entry and trafficking of 453 kilogrammes of cocaine. They had pleaded not guilty to the charges. They were remanded after police prosecutor, Inspector Orin Joseph, objected to bail on the basis that the two men provided video evidence that the aircraft belongs to them, hence they were considered flight risks.
On May 20, police discovered the cocaine after the foreign-registered aircraft, a four-seater Bonanza Beechcraft, crashed-landed in the Orealla savannah just before 2pm. The two men were immediately arrested after the discovery was made.
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. But residents became suspicious and immediately contacted the local ranks stationed in the area, who questioned the men and conducted a search of the aircraft during which the cocaine was discovered.
The initial search of the aircraft was carried out by divisional ranks, after which the force’s SWAT team, the GDF, and CANU, were mobilised and dispatched to the scene from Camp Ayanganna aboard the GDF’s Bell-412 helicopter.
A statement by the Guyana Police Force said that 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 GPS devices, 1 radio set, 3 mobile phones, 2 identification cards, and the aircraft’s registration documents.
