Almost 1,000 lbs of cocaine found on foreign aircraft at Orealla

The Guyana Police Force has discovered close to 1,000lbs of cocaine on board a foreign aircraft that made an emergency landing in a savannah in Orealla, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Thursday.

Police Headquarters in a statement noted that ranks of the Police Force’s SWAT Team, the army and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) were mobilised and dispatched to the scene from Camp Ayanganna aboard the GDF’s BEL-412 helicopter.

A thorough search of the aircraft was conducted and a total of 453 packages containing 453 kilograms (998.694 lbs) of suspected cocaine were found, along with two Global Positioning Systems, a radio set, three smartphones, two ID cards and the aircraft registration documents.

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Two male foreign nationals, including the pilot, suspected to be Brazilians, were arrested by the Divisional ranks. They remain in custody as investigations continue.

Toshao of Orealla, Lewis Devir, told the News Room that based on reliable reports he received, the aircraft landed in a savannah near the airstrip in the village and next to where a road is being built.

An eyewitness from the area told journalist, Royan Abrams, that the aircraft landed at about 14:00hrs after running out of fuel.

According to the eyewitness, the two men told residents that they were travelling and visiting several areas to do sport fishing and other leisure activity, but they encountered difficulty while in the air.