TWO foreigners, who landed a plane at Mahdia, Region Eight, were, on Friday, sentenced to two years imprisonment for operating a civil aircraft without an airworthiness certificate and fined a total of $11M each for three other aircraft-related charges.

Juan David Caicedo Villa, a 32-year-old pilot of Villavicencio, Colombia, and Gustavo Adolfo Riascos Gomez, a 48-year-old pilot/businessman of Tachira San Cristobal, Venezuela, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to four charges.

The men admitted that on November 4, 2021, they operated an aircraft without insurance and was fined $5 million each or alternatively three years’ imprisonment.

They also admitted that on the same date they interfered with an aircraft and were fined $3 million each or alternatively two years imprisonment.

Additionally, they admitted that they operated a civil aircraft without an airworthiness certificate and were each sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Lastly, they admitted that the operated an aircraft in a negligent manner and were fined $3 million dollars each or alternatively two years imprisonment.

The Chief Magistrate ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

On November 9, they had appeared before the Chief Magistrate for illegal entry and cannabis possession. The duo pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded to prison.

According to reports, one of the accused was the pilot and the other the co-pilot. On the day in question, they landed their foreign-registered aircraft without authorization, at Mahdia.

As a result, a party of policemen immediately went to the airstrip and found the six-seater Piper Aire aircraft — blue, red and white in colour — in front of Trans Guyana’s hangar. At the time, the two foreigners were standing in front of the said aircraft talking to the security and ramp attendant.

When confronted by the police, one of the men spoke in English saying, “We are lost, we came from Venezuela and going to look for gold.”

Apart from the cannabis, the aircraft contained three 15-gallon drums, two of which contained fuel; one hammock with netting, one bag containing clothing and personal effects, a black bag with identification cards, documents, one Garmin GPS, one Iridium Phone, one Icom radio set, one spot trace device, two phone chargers, one earpiece, one lighter, one torchlight, one Motorola phone, one Samsung phone, one knife, two wristwatches, one wallet and bamboo wraps.