AFTER almost four months on the run, the alleged mastermind behind the illegal landing of a Beechcraft King Air aircraft here in August was on Monday remanded to prison.

Hutashan Ramsingh, also called “Seon Singh”, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to plea to the indictable charge.

The charge read that between August 10 and 13 at Mandacoro Island Savannah near Santa Fe, Lethem, he conspired with persons known and unknown to facilitate the illegal landing of an aircraft at an unauthorised port of entry.

Ramsingh’s attorney, Jerome Khan told the court that his client has no knowledge of the incident nor the airstrip. According to Khan, his client was taken into police custody on August 25, but was later released on $50,000 station bail.

He said the reason he fled the jurisdiction was because he feared for his life, but that he was rearrested last week by the police.

The magistrate nevertheless remanded Ramsingh on the grounds of his being a flight risk. The matter was transferred to the Lethem Magistrate’s Court for March 5, 2018.

TWO OTHERS
Two other men are currently before the courts on the same matter. On September 15, Wazim King, 37, and Nathan Hamilton, 21, appeared before City Magistrate, Judy Latchman charged with aiding and facilitating the illegal landing of an aircraft suspected to be involved in the trafficking of narcotics and firearms at an illegal port of entry. That matter was also transferred to the Lethem Magistrate’s Court.
Their attorney, too, contended that their clients have no knowledge that the airstrip or airplane was illegal, since they were hired by Ramsingh to construct a road.

Acting Police Commissioner, David Ramnarine had at the time disclosed that five males and one female were initially arrested in connection with the case, and that legal advice had been given to charge two of them. The others were released on bail.

The twin-engine aircraft, bearing registration PR-IMG was discovered by the security forces in mid-August. No one has come forward to claim ownership of it, and to date, the Brazilian companies with which its registration is affiliated have not reported it as stolen.

On August 13, police ranks were in Santa Fe, Rupununi conducting a search when they stumbled upon over a dozen 10-gallon jars hidden in the bushes. The party of policemen also observed that a long strip of land had been cleared to make what looked like an airstrip.

As the ranks were leaving, they saw an aircraft circling the cleared area. When they returned, they observed three men running from the plane after it had landed. The men managed to escape, but the aircraft was secured.

The lawmen, upon searching the aircraft, found a quantity of dry ration, medical supplies, gents clothing and footwear, two hand-held radios, flashlights, cellular phones and an identification card, amongst other items. The discovery was made a mere week after soldiers had found another illegal airstrip, a chain saw, aviation fuel, 12 abandoned camps and several dugout trenches in the same area.