Colombian, Venezuelan jailed for offences linked to foreign aircraft in Guyana

Last Updated on Friday, 19 November 2021, 22:44 by Denis Chabrol

A Colombian and Venezuelan  were Friday jailed for a string of violations of Guyana’s aviation law, police said.

Colombian Juan David Caricedo Villa, and Venezuelan Gustavo Adolfo Riascos Gomez pleaded guilty to the four offences and were ordered to pay a total of GY$7 million fine or serve nine years imprisonment.

However, the court ruled that the sentences run concurrently. One of the charges- operating a civilian aircraft without an airworthiness certificate- they were sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Police said Chief Magistrate, Ann Mc Lennan fined them GY$1 million or three years imprisonment for operating an aircraft without an insurance; GY$3 million or two years imprisonment for interfering with an aircraft and GY$3 million or two years imprisonment for operating an aircraft in a negligent manner.

Magistrate Mc Lennan ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

The foreign plane without any visible registration marking on Thursday evening, November 4, 2021 landed at the Mahdia airstrip in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni). Authorities had said that except for two grammes of marijuana, nothing illegal had been found aboard.

Several five gallon bottles, two of which had contained fuel, GPS and other communication equipment had been found aboard. They had reportedly told investigators that they had lost their way while searching for gold.