Law enforcement and aviation authorities are probing the discovery of an unregistered aircraft in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on Thursday afternoon.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that the aircraft, a twin-engine Piper aircraft, landed at the Mahdia airstrip just around dusk yesterday.
Two foreign nationals, suspected to be nationals of Venezuela and Columbia, were aboard the aircraft when it landed and were taken into police custody.
The Guyana Police Force on Friday morning reported that the ranks of Mahdia Police Station observed the aircraft circling the airstrip in an attempt to land at about 18:00 hrs on Thursday.
As a result, the police said ranks immediately went to the airstrip and on arrival around 18:05 hrs, a six seater Piper aircraft was seen on the ground in front of Trans Guyana’s hanger. Two suspected foreigners were standing in front of the aircraft talking to the security and ramp attendant.
When confronted by the police, one of the men reportedly said, “We are lost, we came from Venezuela and going to look for gold.”
The men were later identified as 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.
A search of the men and the plane found nothing illegal. The aircraft contained three 15 gallon drums – two of which contained fuel -, personal effects and two grammes of suspected cannabis with bamboo wrap.
The items have been lodged and the aircraft is currently under guard while both men were arrested and placed into custody pending investigations, the police said.
