Govt probing alleged collusion between Police, Brazilians

Illegal aircraft

One month after an illegal Brazil-registered aircraft was discovered in Guyana’s hinterland, the Government has said that it is now actively investigating collusion between police and persons that may be connected to the illegal Brazil-registered aircraft.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, told media operatives on Thursday that

The partially hidden illegal aircraft found at Yupukari, Region Nine

information the Government has received suggests that there was some level of collusion. “That information we take very seriously, and it will inform the way in which we deal with the actual deployment of ranks in these areas,” he said.
When questioned as to whether he can confirm that law enforcement officials were paid to cover up this transaction, Harmon said he does not have that information, but could only speak about what he heard from the ground, and that is there may be some possibility of collusion.
A contractor and a businessman who are both based in Lethem were, two weeks ago, taken into Police custody, where they were questioned and released. A heavy-duty piece of equipment believed to have been used in constructing the illegal airstrip had been seized by police.
Speaking on whether there is need for drones to assist law enforcement with air surveillance, Harmon said the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) would soon be equipped with drones to help monitor Guyana’s air space. He explained that provision would be made in the 2018 National Budget for this to happen.
He suggested that the purchase of drones would provide more accurate readings when compared to the commercial craft. Harmon, a former senior GDF official, said the drones would allow the security forces to cover greater ground, which may lead to a reduced number of troops on the ground.
“It also gives you coverage of areas that are inaccessible otherwise, and so the use of drones, I can say, ‘Yes, we are actively considering,’ and we have some proposals that have been made to us,” he said.
He explained that a number of companies were expected to dispatch representatives to Guyana to outline the quality and type of drones that they were offering.
On September 13, after receiving reports from residents, a Joint Services patrol discovered the illegal twin-engine Cessna aircraft with United States registration number N-767-Z hidden just off the Yupukari Airstrip.
Subsequently, investigators from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana Police Force, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority were deployed from Georgetown to the area to conduct investigations, and they were able to determine that the registration number was bogus.
Moreover, investigators had discovered, during interviews with nearby residents, that the abandoned aircraft had been sighted circling the area on numerous occasions in the past. Additionally, a number of the residents shared information they deemed as “suspicious activity”, including the presence of motorcycles or ATVs frequently at midnight in the area.
It was later confirmed that the aircraft had a leak in the fuel tank. This, investigators believe, may have caused the aircraft to land in Guyana. Nevertheless, the aircraft was repaired and flown to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). Investigations had determined the plane to be registered in Colombia.
It was reported, too, that one of the local law enforcement agencies was aware of the aircraft at least three weeks before the disclosure was made. It was reported that the security officials were monitoring the aircraft to see if anyone would return to salvage it.
To this end, President David Granger had established a one-man Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to probe the discovery of the illegal aircraft. Retired Brigadier Edward Collins was given the task to investigate, examine, advise and report on all the circumstances under which the foreign aircraft had entered the country.
Following the probe, it was reported that two GDF officers were fingered in the report, which found that one of the officers had abandoned his post when he was asked to stake out the area where the plane was found, and was also accused of tampering with the scene of the investigation, as well as physically assaulting civilians at the scene who wanted to report the aircraft’s discovery.
However, the GDF immediately rejected the reports, saying, “The Force therefore takes this opportunity to caution that newspapers exercise due diligence and social responsibility when crafting headlines of this nature. These misleading headlines tend to give the impression of ranks being directly involved in illegal activities.”
And the Police have also denied any of its officers had any connections with the illegal aircraft.