–Toshao says incident raises safety concerns

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF), in a statement, on Friday morning confirmed that the substance found in the aircraft that crashed-landed in Orealla one day earlier, was cocaine.

Following the incident, ranks of the Force’s SWAT team, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) were mobilised and dispatched to the scene from Camp Ayanganna aboard the GDF’s BEL-412 helicopter.

The police stated that a thorough search of the aircraft was conducted, and a total of 453 packages containing 453 kilograms of suspected cocaine were found, along with two global positioning systems, one radio set, three mobile smartphones, two identification cards and the aircraft’s registration documents.

Just after 14:00 hrs on Thursday, a foreign registered four-seater Bonanza Beechcraft aircraft made an emergency landing at an area identified as Loam Pit along the road that is being constructed to link Orealla and Kwakwani.

The Guyana Chronicle was told that residents who went to the scene after the crash advised the two male occupants to remain at the site. However, the pilot and the occupant, who were both identified as Brazilian nationals, made their way into the village under the guise of seeking accommodation and fuel.

Toshao of Orealla, Lewis Devair, on Friday stated that the situation has raised a security concern for the riverine community.

“When they touch down, residents raised the alarm. It wasn’t far; about a mile away from the village. After the crash, a lot of people went there. These guys were afraid they would do something, so they walked through the village and said they needed fuel; that they came from fishing and some other adventure trips up the river,” Devair said.

Police in Orealla were alerted about situation, and made their way to the site, where the suspected cocaine was discovered, wrapped and stacked at the back of the plane.

Devair said that given the large quantity of narcotics that was found, it has raised an alarm, security-wise for the village. As such, the Toshao said he will be asking the GDF to remain in the area, so that residents can feel safer.

Meanwhile, the two foreign nationals, the cocaine and the aircraft are in police custody as the investigations continue.

A team of senior officers within the division is conducting investigations, and have secured the site.