GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – The Guyana Police Force (GPF) Monday said it had discovered a twin engine aircraft on an illegal airstrip in North Rupununi in Southern Guyana.

“The cleared area where the aircraft landed is over one mile long and about fifty feet wide. It appears to have been recently graded. The Civil Aviation Authority has been notified and immediately arrangements are being operationalised for a multi-agency team to be flown to that area to conduct further investigations,” the GPF said, noting that the discovery of the illegal airstrip was made by members of the Guyana Defence Force.

The GPF said that it had been searching the area for the last four weeks after receiving reports that “a foreign aircraft may have been frequenting the Santa Fe Area, North Rupununi, Region 9”.

It said acting on information on Sunday, a part of police officers proceeded to the area “where checks…led to the discovery of over a dozen ten-gallon jars in the bushes. The party also observed that a long strip of land had been cleared.

“As the party was leaving, they observed an aircraft circling some distance away and on returning to the cleared area, they saw three men running from the aircraft which by then had landed. The aircraft was secured.”

The GPF said that on checking the aircraft, “a quantity of dry ration, medical supplies, gents clothing and footwear, two hand-held radios, flashlights, cellular phones and an identification card amongst other items were found in the aircraft”.

The statement did not say whether anyone had been detained following the discovery.