Government treating discovery as national security threat

Illegal aircraft

President David Granger has said Government is treating the discovery of the twin engine Beechcraft aircraft discovered in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) on Sunday as a matter of national security and would be determining the fate of the plane following the investigation.

He said an investigation has been launched to determine whether the twin engine

Beechcraft landed at the illegal airstrip as a sign of distress or for illegal reasons.

“It is premature for me to what will happen to the plane. We don’t know if it is in distress or if it was involved in illegal activity but soon as that investigation is completed, the Minister of State will communicate that view. Right now, we are treating it as a public security issue rather than a question of distress. We know that people were running away and we know if they were wounded they would not have been running away, so let’s get to the facts first before we jump to conclusions,” the President said.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told this publication they are trying to verify the origin of the aircraft and whether any criminal records are associated with the identifying documents found on the aircraft.

A history of the aircraft shows that it was owned by 11 companies in the past 27 years. The Beechcraft Kingair aircraft is currently registered to Banco Brandesco – one of Brazil’s third largest banks. However, an official from the Bank said that

they do not own any planes but it is registered to them since the owner may have acquired a loan to purchase it.

A mining company named Riwa SA Incorporated Investments and participants operate the aircraft. No trace of narcotics were found on the plane but identification cards of Venezuelan and Brazilian origin were discovered on board.

A multi-agency taskforce is still in the area conducting investigations. The aircraft is expected to be flown to the city following minor repairs.

On Sunday, acting on information, a team from F Division (Interior locations) visited the area and discovered a 5400-foot long, 45-foot wide airstrip which appeared to have undergone recent repairs. This strip had been discovered and destroyed by the Guyana Defence Force only a few years ago. The aircraft landed while the ranks were making their way back to the airstrip. They reported that they saw some persons running into the bush.

According the F Division Commander Ravindradat Budhram, having received information from an unnamed source that the airstrip was being used, investigating ranks visited the site and were leaving the area when they observed an aircraft circling some distance away. The aircraft landed while the ranks were making their way back to the airstrip. They reported that they saw some persons running from the aircraft. Following the discovery of the plane, an extensive search was mounted by a Joint Services team for the men and the search continues.

Budhram noted that a search of the area unearthed three abandoned camps, in which canned food and other items were found. Additionally, 16 10-gallon containers, which are suspected to have contained aviation fuel, were also discovered. During the search of the aircraft, several pieces of communication equipment, including cellular phones, flashlights, a quantity of dried ration, medical supplies and an identification card were discovered.