Foreigners on suspicious aircraft say they were lost while looking for gold 

Two foreigners have been detained by police after they landed at the Mahdia Airstrip in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) in an unmarked Piper Aire blue, red and white aircraft.

The men have been identified as Juan David Caicedo Villa, 32, a pilot of Villavicencio Colombia, and 48-year-old Gustavo Adolfo Riascos Gomez, a pilot and businessman of Tachira San Cristobal, Venezuela.

Police Headquarters said the men circled the airstrip before landing at about 18:00hrs on Thursday; they told police: “We are lost, we came from Venezuela and going to look for gold.”

Police reported that the men were confronted by police in front of Trans Guyana’s hanger.

The men and the aircraft were searched but nothing illegal was found, however, three 15 gallon drums – two of which contained fuel, a hammock with net, a bag with clothing and personal effects.

Inside the aircraft, police discovered a black bag with identification cards; documents; a Garmin GPS; one Iridium Phone (satellite phone); an Icom radio set; a spot trace device; two phone chargers; an earpiece; a lighter; a torchlight; one Motorola phone; a Samsung phone; a knife; two wristwatches; a wallet; two grams of suspected cannabis and bamboo wrap.

The items have been lodged and the aircraft is currently under police guard while both men were arrested and placed into custody pending investigation.