….as probe continues into cocaine found aboard foreign aircraft

LAW enforcement agencies in Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela are assisting local authorities with the investigation into the cocaine-loaded foreign aircraft that made an emergency landing in a savannah in Orealla, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Thursday last.

This was confirmed by the Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh.
“The close collaboration is very successful in sharing information and joint operations,” Singh told the Sunday Chronicle when contacted.
The Bonanza Beechcraft has a Brazilian registration number, PT-SRR. Law enforcement authorities are checking whether the registration number is false, since the plane appeared to be destined for Suriname.

Reports are that the crew members, Brazilians, Isaias Luiz Pereira and Salem Nobrega De Alencar, claimed that they were on their way to Suriname to deliver a shipment of magnesium.
Inspection of the aircraft found 453 packs of one kilogram of cocaine each, amounting to almost 1,000 pounds. The batch of drugs was seized, as well as, two GPS devices, a radio system, three smartphones, and two Brazilian identity cards.

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 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 for fishing and some other adventure trips up the river,” Devair said.

Police in Orealla were alerted about the 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 were found, it has raised an alarm, security-wise for the village. As such, the Toshao said he will be asking the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to remain in the area so that residents can feel safer.

The two foreign nationals, the cocaine, and the aircraft remain in police custody as the investigations continue.