POLICE in South Rupununi, Region Nine, intercepted an aircraft at an illegal airstrip in Bashaizon Village on Sunday, uncovering what is believed to be a mercury-smuggling operation linked to gold mining activities.
At approximately 10:55 hrs, acting on intelligence, a team from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) led by Commander of Regional Division #9, Senior Superintendent Raphael Rose, along with members of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), descended on the illegal airstrip, located about three miles from the village’s main access road.

Upon arrival, the ranks observed a black, gold, and white Islander aircraft, bearing Brazilian registration #PU-MBN, parked on the strip alongside a dark-coloured, fully tinted pickup truck.
As officers moved in, two men were seen exiting the aircraft and hurriedly boarding the vehicle. However, as the pickup fled southwards, one of the men fell from the vehicle, while the truck collided with the aircraft, damaging the right wing and front propeller.

The fleeing pickup managed to escape across the Takutu River into Brazil, despite police discharging two rounds in an effort to halt it. The man who fell from the vehicle was immediately apprehended and identified as 48-year-old Robistaine Peixoto Saraiva, a Brazilian gold miner from Boa Vista.
Saraiva, during questioning, revealed that he had chartered the aircraft from a company in Brazil, and had recently flown to Venezuela to deliver 10 cylinders of mercury.

He claimed that he had returned to Guyana to purchase another 10 cylinders from a contact known only as ‘Mute’ for use in gold mining operations in Brazil.
A thorough search of the aircraft uncovered several high-tech devices, including iPhones, Samsung phones, GPS systems, and other personal items. A motorcycle, believed to be part of the operation, was also found concealed in bushes near the airstrip.

Police have since launched a full investigation into the incident, with authorities in Guyana working closely with their Brazilian counterparts to apprehend the fugitive pilot, identified only as ‘Wallefi Kayck’.
Saraiva remains in police custody, as law enforcement seeks to dismantle what appears to be a transnational mercury smuggling ring operating within the region.