-man held after exchange of gunfire, pilot escapes
In the South Rupununi, the police on Sunday intercepted a plane which may have been smuggling mercury for gold mining and one man was arrested during an exchange of gunfire while the pilot of the craft managed to escape to Brazil.
The police yesterday said in a release that at approximately 10:55 am on Sunday, based on information received regarding an aircraft attempting to land at an illegal airstrip in Bashaizon Village, an investigation was conducted.
Commander of Regional Police Division #9, Senior Superintendent Raphael Rose, along with Inspector Alfred, Detective Sergeant 21328 De Jonge, Sergeant Joseph, and other ranks from the Guyana Police Force, accompanied by three members of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit, visited the scene.
The Commander instructed Sergeant Joseph, the officer in charge of the Aishalton Police Station, to lead a team of officers to Bashaizon Village to monitor the suspected area. Sergeant Joseph, accompanied by Constable #26088 Berckly and Constable #26130 Wenceslaus, both armed at the time, departed Aishalton Police Station aboard ATV motorcycle #CL 9533.
Upon arrival, the release said that ranks observed a large plot of land in the savannah featuring an illegal airstrip running north to south, about three miles from the village’s main access road. They also noticed a black, gold, and white Islander aircraft with registration #PU-MBN parked on the airstrip, facing north.
Additionally, a dark-coloured, fully tinted four-door motor pickup truck was parked adjacent to the aircraft, also facing north.
As the ranks approached, they observed two males exiting the aircraft and boarding the pickup. However, as the ranks got closer, the pickup turned and drove off in a southern direction. One of the men fell from the vehicle in the process. Simultaneously, the pickup collided with the plane, causing damage to the right wing and front propeller, the release said.
The police ranks apprehended the man who had fallen from the vehicle. Despite discharging two .38 rounds in an attempt to stop the fleeing pickup, the vehicle managed to cross the Takutu River into Brazil.
The apprehended male, identified as Robistaine Peixoto Saraiva, a 48-year-old Brazilian gold miner from Boa Vista, Brazil, was informed of the offences. The release said that a search of his person revealed no illegal items. During questioning, Saraiva disclosed that the pilot who had fled in the pickup was known to him only as ‘Wallefi Kayck’.
Saraiva further stated that he had chartered the aircraft last Wednesday or Thursday (exact date unknown) from Santa Len De Para Company in Brazil. He said that on October 4, 2024, they had flown from Chimba Airstrip, Brazil, to Venezuela, where they dropped off ten cylinders of mercury (Quicksilver). After spending a few days in Venezuela, they landed in Guyana on October 6, 2024. Saraiva, the release said, claimed their visit to Guyana was to purchase ten cylinders of mercury (Quicksilver) from a Brazilian known only as ‘Mute’ for use in his gold mining operations in Brazil.
A search of the aircraft revealed the following items: One iPhone 13 Pro Max, one Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, one Samsung Galaxy A03, one Tracker phone, two Garmin GPS devices, one pair of earbuds, one wireless charger, several phone cables, a quantity of male clothing and two black haversacks
Additionally, the ranks found a black-and-white NK 150 CC motorcycle with registration #4693 about 200 feet from the airstrip, hidden in nearby bushes.
Detectives processed and photographed the entire scene. Several individuals in the area were questioned, and useful information was obtained. The investigation is ongoing.
Questions will be raised as to why the authorities were unaware of the airstrip and how long it had been in place. There was no mention in the release about contact with the Brazilian authorities on the escape of the pilot to Brazil. The claims of the apprehended man will also call into question if gold miners in the South Rupununi are trading in mercury.
A Stabroek News editorial on September 2nd this year entitled `Mercury and mining” had said: “What the GGMC needed to and can still do is to state clearly how much mercury is being used here and what success it has had ensuring that it is used responsibly, with retorts and not in sluice boxes etc. At last word, mercury importation under the regulations was capped at 1,000 flasks or 34,500 kilogrammes per year. Should that cap be lowered for instance to 20,000 kilogrammes and who is effectively monitoring the importation of mercury and is there a real idea of how much is being used per annum?”
