Sunday, September 18, 2016

Discovered Cessna aircraft had false US markings



A Cessna aircraft discovered hidden near a Region Nine airstrip had false registration markings, a top Government official said yesterday.

The aircraft was discovered Wednesday morning after security forces received a tip-off the previous day.

A team of officials, including army and police ranks, has since taken possession of the aircraft located near the Yupukari airstrip.

Yesterday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, during the post-Cabinet press briefings, disclosed that the registration on the Cessna plane, N767Z, appeared to be false.

This was verified by aviation investigators who confirmed that there is an aircraft currently flying in the US that bore the same registration, Harmon disclosed.

According to the Minister, the aircraft was found partly hidden in bushes, and covered in a camouflage net.

Subsequently, a team comprising officials from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), immediately began an investigation.

Harmon noted that the area is one that is heavily patrolled by security forces. The ranks have an excellent relationship with the communities in that area, he said.

Region Nine borders Brazil with mining, cattle rearing and farming taking place there.

The Minister added that Yupukari and its surrounding areas have had regular and constant surveillance.

Hinting that there is a suspicion that the plane is involved in the drug trade, the Minister disclosed that another airstrip not very far from Yupukari is a favourite for operators.

Investigators are now trying to determine if the plane had cargo and what exactly it was fetching, if anything.

According to Harmon, the plane could not have been there long as the area is heavily patrolled.

Source: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com


Members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and other related agencies, over the past two days conducted an assessment of the twin-engine Cessna Aircraft, which was discovered at Yupukari, Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).

The team is busy gathering evidence that will assist investigators in uncovering the circumstances under which the aircraft came to be abandoned at the location.

Yesterday morning, a team including Head of CANU, James Singh, and GCAA officials, ventured into the area to further assess the aircraft for damage and capabilities in order to make recommendations on what should be done with it.

Additionally, the CANU team is seeking to determine whether the aircraft may have any links to the narcotics trade, the Ministry of the Presidency said yesterday.

During a search of the aircraft, several pieces of communication equipment were discovered. These have been secured to be further examined for any potential leads.

The ministry said that the police and army are speaking with nearby residents in the hope of turning up leads in the case and this has resulted in a number of them sharing information they deemed as ‘suspicious activity’, such as the presence of motorcycles frequently at midnight in the area. They also reported that the abandoned aircraft has previously been sighted circling the area on numerous occasions in the past.

The plane, bearing registration number N767Z, was first brought to the attention of officials on Tuesday by a resident of the area. The following day, Wednesday, a joint army and police patrol, that included CANU, was dispatched to the location to conduct a full investigation.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, in an invited comment, said that while the Government is yet to receive a full report on what would have transpired over the last few days, President David Granger and the entire Government are committed to ensuring that a full investigation into the matter is completed.

The Minister noted that reports received from residents near the area where the aircraft was discovered have raised serious concerns for those involved in the investigation.

Source: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com



Guyanese authorities say the illegal aircraft that was found at Yupukari, Rupununi Region last week had been frequenting the area and that communication equipment found aboard is being analyzed.

“During a search of the aircraft, several pieces of communication equipment were discovered. These have been secured to be further examined for any potential leads,” the Ministry of the Presidency said in a statement.

The Ministry of the Presidency did not say specifically whether any traces of drugs or illegal weapons were found aboard the twin-engine Cessna plane.

However, law enforcement agents were able to ascertain that the plane had been often seen in that region and motorcycles could have been heard late at night. “The Police and Army are speaking with nearby residents in the hopes of turning up leads in the case and this has resulted in a number of them sharing information they deemed as ‘suspicious activity’, such as the presence of motorcycles frequently at midnight in the area. They also reported that the abandoned aircraft has previously been sighted circling the area on numerous occasions in the past,” the government said in a statement.

Agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) including its Head, James Singh, have already visited the plane that was found hidden under a canopy of vegetation just off a makeshift airstrip. “The CANU team is seeking to determine whether the aircraft may have any links to the narcotics trade.”

Officials of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have also ventured into the area to further assess the aircraft for damages and capabilities in order to make recommendations on what should be done with it. 

Authorities said that the plane, which was draped in a camouflage cover, had been awaiting repairs when a patrol discovered it.

The plane, bearing registration number N767Z, was first brought to the attention of officials on Tuesday by a resident of the area.  The following day, Wednesday, September 14, a Joint Army and Police team, inclusive of CANU, were dispatched to the location to conduct a full investigation. That registration subsequently turned out to be fake.

Demerara Waves Online News has, however, been informed by usually reliable sources that at least one law enforcement agency had known of the plane’s presence there at least three weeks ago and had been staking out the area for the aviation technicians and other persons to return so that they could have been arrested.

Source:  http://demerarawaves.com

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