Foreign nationals charged for illegally entering Guyana
Aeroplanes found in Region 7
Two of the three foreign nationals who were arrested after their aircraft crash-landed in Region Seven were on Friday charged for illegal entry.
Juan Fortool and Manoel Edson Pinheiro Costa appeared before Magistrate Crystal Lambert at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court where they both pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that they arrived in Guyana by air and not a port of entry.
The cocaine that was found in the wrecked aeroplane
The men along with an aircraft were found by members of the Guyana Police Force at 9 Miles Airstrip, Issano, Middle Mazaruni, on September 13. The men were remanded to prison and are expected to make their next court appearance on September 30, 2020.
It was reported that Police acting on information received proceeded to the airstrip located in the Middle Mazaruni area where a red and white 206 Cessna aircraft was found.
The three men who were arrested following the discovery
In addition, the 38-year-old pilot from Boa Vista; a 29-year-old pilot from Temeremo, Venezuela; and a 35-year-old internet technician from Manaus, Brazil, were found in close proximity of the aeroplane.
Upon their arrest, they were interrogated and would have told Police that they were heading to Suriname along with a second aircraft when it developed mechanical issues.
The first aircraft which was discovered on Sunday
The men claimed that this forced them to crash land, causing one of the occupants to suffer a fractured right arm and minor bruises about his face.
Along with the three persons, nothing illegal was found in the aircraft other than a cell phone, satellite phone, identification documents and other items.
However, the wreckage of the second aircraft was discovered hours after by the police ranks who went in search of the missing plane. Upon the discovery of the wreckage, 390 kilograms of cocaine and the body of a male suspected to be the pilot were found. The body was later identified to be that of 49-year-old Brazilian national, Alessandro Eduardo Petravicies.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Guyana’s airspace remains closed with only authorisation for special flights. Even under normal conditions, aircraft cannot enter the country or pass through without permission.
Back in September 2016, a Joint Services patrol discovered an illegal aircraft hidden just off of the Yupukari Airstrip, Rupununi, with United States registration N-767-Z.
The wreckage of the crashed aircraft
A team of investigators from the GDF, GPF, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority was subsequently deployed to the area to conduct investigations and were able to determine that the registration number was bogus.
A one-man Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to probe the discovery of the illegal aircraft appointed Retired Brigadier Edward Collins to investigate, examine, advise and report on all aspects under which the foreign aircraft had entered the country. The CoI proved that the aircraft entered Guyana illegally.
