Brazilians remanded on narco-trafficking, illegal entry charges

Suriname-bound cocaine-laden plane

The two Brazilian nationals who were onboard the cocaine-laden aircraft when it crash-landed at Orealla in Region Six were on Thursday arraigned for trafficking in narcotics and illegal entry.

Salim Nobrega De Alimser, 60, and Andre Pereira, 30, were arraigned in the Springlands Magistrates Court, where the charge read to them stated that, on May 20, 2021, they had in their possession 450 kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The Police have also said that the men illegally entered Guyana on that said day.
The duo reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charges, and were remanded to prison by Magistrate Alex Moore. They are expected to return to court on June 22, 2021.

It was reported that the green and white Beechcraft Bonanza plane, carrying registration number PT-SRR, crash-landed in the Amerindian community of Orealla on the Corentyne River in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) after encountering difficulties.
The two occupants in the aircraft when it crash-landed were Brazilian nationals, and one was the pilot.
The men reportedly told residents of Orealla that they were travelling and visiting several areas to do sport fishing and other leisure activities, but had encountered difficulties with the weather. They further claimed that the aircraft was almost out of fuel, and they had gotten lost after circling the area for some time.
However, the men were subsequently accosted by Police ranks, who questioned them about their presence in the area. They then took the ranks to the aircraft, where a search conducted unearthed a quantity of cocaine. With a street value of about US$30,000 per kilogram, the estimated cost of the drug is $2.9 billion.
Shortly after the discovery, ranks of the Disciplined Forces and agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) were mobilised and dispatched to the scene from Camp Ayanganna via the GDF’s Bell 412 helicopter.
CANU has reported that from all indications and information received, the aircraft was heading to Suriname. However, in addition to the 450 bricks of cocaine which each weighed one kilogram, two Global Positioning Systems, one radio set, three smartphones, two identification cards and the registration documents of the aircraft were found at the crash site.
Only last September, another Brazilian-registered Beechcraft crash-landed at Issano, Middle Mazaruni in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) with some 390 kilograms of cocaine. Also onboard that aircraft was the motionless body of a foreigner, who was later identified as 49-year-old Brazilian national Alessandro Eduardo Petravicies.
The completely wrecked plane was discovered on September 14, 2020 in the vicinity of the Nine Miles Airstrip, where authorities had discovered another aircraft that landed in the country on the previous night.
The Police had said that the first plane, which had three occupants, had no illegal items onboard, nor were any illegal articles found nearby. It was reported that that plane, a 206 Cessna, was travelling along with the Beechcraft, heading to Suriname.