–  three foreigners arrested

TWO Cessna aircraft that were reportedly heading to Suriname, landed in Mazaruni, Region Seven, resulting in the arrest of three foreigners, on Sunday night. One of the aircraft had a lifeless body with illegal items which suggests that it might have crash-landed days prior.

The men were only identified as a 38-year-old pilot from Boa Vista, Brazil; a 29-year-old, who is also a pilot but from Venezuela, along with a 35-year-old Internet technician from Manaus, Brazil.
The second of the two illegal aircraft was discovered hours after by a Joint Services operation after it crash-landed in the jungle on Friday.

It is alleged that, after the first plane crashed, the second one was dispatched to rescue the pilot and the illegal supplies he carried.

Reports indicated that police, acting on information received, visited Nine Miles Airstrip, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River, and discovered a red and white Cessna with the three foreign nationals.
Using a google translator, police were told the planes were heading to Suriname when one of them developed mechanical problems, causing it to crash-land.

“As a result of the observation, the pilot crashed-landed the aircraft at Nine Miles which caused one of the occupants to sustain a fractured right arm and minor bruises about his face of which he confirmed he received from the sudden impact. The other aircraft crashed, and the body of a man was discovered,” police said.

Reports indicated that the aircraft which crash-landed on the airstrip was examined but there was no visible damage seen on it. Police also conducted searches on the aircraft in the presence of the three passengers onboard and on their person but nothing illegal was found.

The police also searched in the vicinity where the aircraft was discovered but nothing illegal was found.
The three men were arrested and taken into custody along with their personal belongings such as cellphones, satellite phone, ID cards and other items.

However, along with the body of the man on the other aircraft, law enforcement also found what was suspected to be cocaine.
Police Press Officer, Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor, said Joint Services ranks made checks within the vicinity of Nine Miles Airstrip, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River, and found a blue and white Beechcraft at the western end of the Nine Miles Airstrip in a clump of bushes entirely damaged with some bags of an undisclosed amount of items suspected to be cocaine.
There was also a lifeless body of a male suspected to be a foreign national on the craft. His name and age are unknown. The crash site has been secured by Joint Services ranks for investigation.
The body was taken to the district mortuary as both aircraft remain in police custody as investigation is done.