…Brazilian national detained

POLICE on the West Coast of Demerara have detained a Brazilian, who disembarked an Air Services Limited (ASL) helicopter which landed at the Ruimzeight Foreshore on Wednesday morning.

In a video seen by this publication, the helicopter, which bears registration 8R-GJS, can be seen taking-off from the seawall area. The craft landed around 11:30hrs close to the crematorium. The man was picked-up by a car but alert residents followed the vehicle while notifying the police. The men were taken to the Vreed-en-Hoop police station.

They were detained and ranks are investigating the incident. Reports are that the pilot informed the authorities that the landing was to facilitate the fixing of a door. The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is aware of the incident.

Speculations by persons at the scene ranged from the individual being a foreign national illegally entering the country, to the possibility that the situation involved the transporting of drugs. “A helicopter drop he off and when people see they call we so we block off the road here,” someone on the scene explained as the situation unfolded.

“What helicopter got to land here fa? Them get permission to land here?” questioned a driver at the scene who was using his vehicle to block the car the individual was an occupant in.

The police later arrived on the scene and drove away with the individual. Regional Commander, Assistant Commissioner, Simon McBean, has since confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle, that the individual was apprehended by the police in West Demerara but has since been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as investigations continue.

McBean said no drugs were found on the person, neither was it yet confirmed whether or not the individual is a Guyanese or a foreigner. However he did confirm that the individual was not fluent in English. “A gentleman was handed over to the police by public-spirited citizens who indicated that he disembarked a helicopter at the Ruimzeight area. His English was not that clear but he is being interviewed by CID headquarters. We would have received no such information as relates to drugs,” McBean explained.