The two foreigners who were found onboard the aircraft that illegally landed in Guyana have told investigators that they became lost in their quest to find gold.
The duo was detained in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) after they landed at an airstrip in the area.
Reports are that the men landed about 18:00h in a twin-engine Piper Seneca plane.
They have been 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.
Police said when they received reports of the incident, a party of policemen were dispatched to the area. There, the plane was in front of the Trans Guyana’s hanger and the foreigners were standing in front of the aircraft talking to the security and ramp attendant.
When confronted by the police, one of the men, spoke in English, said: “We are lost, we came from Venezuela and going to look for gold”.
Moreover, Police said a search of the men and the plane found nothing illegal.
The aircraft contained three 15 gallon drums – two of which contained fuel – containing suspected fuel, one hammock with net, one bag containing clothing and personal effects while a black bag with identification cards documents, one Garmin GPS, one Iridium Phone, one Icom radio set, one spot trace device, two phone charger, one ear piece, one lighter, one torch light, one Motorola phone, one Samsung phone, one knife, two wrist watches, one wallet, and 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.
