Brazilian, Two Guyanese Granted Bail on Narcotics and Illegal Entry Charges
October 30 2024 – A Brazilian national and two Guyanese men appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, where they were granted bail on narcotics trafficking charges, with the Brazilian defendant also facing an illegal entry charge.
The charges stem from an alleged illegal landing of an aircraft at an unauthorized airstrip in Bashaizon Village, South Rupununi, Region Nine, on October 6, 2024. Following their initial court appearance earlier this month, the men had been remanded.
The accused are Robintaine Peixoto Saraiva, 48, a Brazilian miner from Boa Vista; Hamlet Da Silva, 53, a self-employed man with ties to Bonfim, Brazil, and Achiwib Village, South Rupununi; and Evander Phoenix, 27, a miner from Achiwib Village. All three were detained on October 8 and charged on October 16.
Phoenix faces charges under the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substance (Control) Act, while Da Silva and Saraiva are jointly charged with narcotics trafficking. Additionally, Saraiva faces an illegal entry charge under Guyana’s Immigration Act.
Each defendant pled not guilty to the charges. Attorney Bernard Da Silva, representing all three men, secured bail for his clients, with Magistrate McGusty granting $200,000 bail for Da Silva and Phoenix on narcotics charges. Saraiva was also granted $200,000 bail on narcotics charges, plus an additional $200,000 for illegal entry. All three defendants must report monthly to the Lethem Police Station as part of their bail conditions.
Attorney Da Silva noted that the prosecution has yet to complete its evidential disclosures. The case has been adjourned until November 27, 2024, at which time the prosecution is expected to provide full disclosure.
The charges followed a dramatic incident on October 6, when law enforcement uncovered an aircraft, an Islander with registration number PU-MBN, on an unauthorized airstrip in Bashaizon Village.
Acting on a tip, police and Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officers found the black, gold, and white plane parked near a heavily tinted pickup truck. As officers approached, two men exited the plane and attempted to flee in the truck, which collided with the aircraft before escaping over the Takutu River into Brazil. Saraiva, who fell from the vehicle, was detained, while the suspected pilot managed to evade capture.
Saraiva later informed authorities that he had chartered the plane from Brazil’s Santa Len De Para Company, with stops in Venezuela, allegedly to deliver mercury. He claimed their journey to Guyana was to purchase more mercury for mining.
The subsequent search of the aircraft yielded electronic devices, personal items, and a hidden motorcycle nearby. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the illegal landing and narcotics charges.
