Three suspected Venezuelan pirates were nabbed on Tuesday morning in rough north west coastal waters by the police and Coast Guard as they attempted to flee with a fishing boat and engines belonging to local fishermen.
According to a police release, ranks collaborating with the GDF Coast Guard arrested three armed “pirates” suspected to be Venezuelan nationals in rough waters off the coast of Guyana.
Regional Division #1 Commander, Senior Superintendent Himnauth Sawh stated that the police and Coast Guard ranks were alerted to an alleged pirate attack in an area at Waini Point, North West District. The responding ranks embarked in a Coast Guard vessel in pursuit of the suspected pirates whom they managed to capture in rough waters as they attempted to flee towards the Venezuelan border with the boat and outboard engines.
The release noted that at about 01.45 hours on Tuesday, at Waini Point, North West District, the suspects armed with guns, bows and arrows attacked a vessel that was moored. Two Guyanese fishermen who were aboard at the time and were asleep, were awakened by three suspects, two pointing long guns at them. The suspects were all wearing flashlights on their foreheads.
According to the victims, the pirates spoke to them in a foreign language (believed to be Spanish) and ordered them off the vessel. It was described as a fibreglass boat, measuring about 20 feet in length, four feet in width, and about three feet in depth, and equipped with two Yamaha outboard engines (40 hp and 15 hp).
The suspects then took control of the fishing boat, including engines and seine, and fled toward the Venezuelan border. The two victims, a 24-year-old and a
teenager managed to alert another nearby fishing vessel, which assisted them. The victims promptly alerted their boss, 36-year-old businessman Ravindra Singh, called ‘Bundo’, who owns the fishing boat.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police at Morawhanna Police Station and as a result, police and Coast Guard ranks swiftly mobilised and proceeded to a notorious area known as ‘Crab Dog’ area. There they observed and attempted to intercept the stolen fibreglass boat with the suspects inside.
Upon seeing the police and Coast Guard ranks approaching, the suspects jumped overboard but were still apprehended. The vessel and the suspects were escorted to a safe area out of the treacherous waters where a search was conducted, and two single-barrel shotguns, one live 5.56 round of ammunition, two arrows and one bow were found hidden in the boat. They were also identified as Venezuelan nationals.
The suspects are presently in custody, assisting with the ongoing investigation.
