The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force says a private jet which was intercepted in Miami on the weekend, was not destined fort St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
A release from the Police says a News Report by the Associated Press disclosed that the aircraft, bound for Venezuela, was intercepted at Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Miami with a cache of weapons, ammunition, cash and household items on Saturday August 15.
According to the Police, the report stated that two Venezuelan Pilots were arrested and charged with smuggling bulk cash and goods from the United States and illegally possessing firearms as aliens. Police say the report further stated that according to a US statement the Venezuelan –registered Lear Jet listed St. Vincent and the Grenadines as its destination.
However, the release says Jared Rine, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, is quoted in the Associated Press report in an affidavit supporting the criminal complaint against the persons who were arrested, that one of the defendants said after being arrested that the aircraft’s ultimate destination was Venezuela.
Special Agent Rine reportedly said, from his training and experience, he is aware that Pilots have filed flight plans to third-party countries to avoid detection of their ultimate destinations, and so avoid scrutiny of law enforcement authorities.
After being briefed on the matter, Commissioner of Police, Colin John asserted that the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security confirmed that the aircraft in question was not destined for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and that this country’s name was used only as a decoy.
The Police say St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been a bastion in the fight against illegal drugs, and will continue to do so, in collaboration with local, regional and international partners.
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