Venezuelan men plead guilty to attacking, robbing Guyanese fishermen

– to be sentenced on May 22

Three Venezuelan nationals have waived their right to a trial, and have pleaded guilty to robbing two Guyanese fishermen at Waini Point, North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini) recently.
They were charged contrary to Section 3 of the Hijacking and Piracy Act, and answered to the charge on Tuesday when they appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.
Charged are: Jose Beria and Reniel Valenzuela, both 23, and 21-year-old Aleyandio Valenzuela — all of Capio, Venezuela. They allegedly robbed the Guyanese fishermen of a white fibreglass boat valued at $600,000, a 15-horsepower outboard engine valued at $700,000, and a 40-horsepower outboard engine valued at $1.1 million. The items are the property of Rajendra Singh.
In relation to the armed robbery charge, the three men were remanded to prison until May 22, when they will be sentenced for the crime. They will, however, face a trial for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The foreign nationals were arrested on Wednesday, March 8, following a collaboration between ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard.
On the day in question, at around 01:45h, the law enforcement ranks were alerted to a pirate attack in the area at Waini Point, North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini). As such, the ranks departed in a Coast Guard vessel in pursuit of the three pirates, who were armed with guns, bows, and arrows; and they managed to intercept them in rough waters as they failed to flee towards the Venezuelan border with the boat and outboard engines they had stolen from the fishermen.
“Enquiries disclosed that on the date and time mentioned, two Guyanese fishermen were asleep on the vessel, which was moored at Waini Point, North West District. They alleged that they were awoken by three suspects, two pointing long guns at them. The suspects were all wearing flashlights on their foreheads,” the Police stated in a press statement.
The victims — a 24-year-old and a teenager — told investigators that the pirates spoke to them in a foreign language (believed to be Spanish), and ordered them off the fibreglass boat that was being powered by two Yamaha outboard engines. They then took control of the fishing boat and its contents, and fled towards the Venezuelan border.
The victims managed to alert another nearby fishing vessel, which assisted them, and immediately contacted their boss, a 36-year-old businessman. The matter was subsequently reported to the Morawhanna Police Station.
As a result, the Police and Coast Guard ranks swiftly proceeded to an area called the Crab Dog area, where they observed and attempted to intercept the stolen fibreglass boat with the suspects inside. Upon seeing the Police, the pirates jumped overboard, but were eventually apprehended. The boat was searched, during which two single-barrel shotguns, one live 5.56 round of ammunition, and two arrows and one bow were found hidden in the boat.