Suspicious Venezuelan Airplane on Utila

At roughly 1:00 am yesterday, a small plane circled the island of Utila, made two passes, and landed on the small island’s runway. Two speedboats appeared on the sea, only meters away, and were immediately loaded with cargo of an unidentified type before speeding off into the distance. The plane, marked “VY 1482” was allegedly from Venezuela.

[Faces blacked out with respect for the safety of law enforcement agents.]
Local residents were a buzz over yet another “narco avion” interrupting their sleep on a quiet Tuesday morning; but by 6:00 am, still no local police had arrived to investigate the matter. A call from Tegucigalpa stirred the Utilian authorities, alerting them that a small unauthorized plane had been detected by their radar, and was currently on the Utila airstrip. The local police officers were then informed that they were relieved of duty, and shortly thereafter, the local police commissioner and four officers were taken by boat to the island of Roatan. [The municipality of Roatan is responsible for the administration of judicial proceedings for the Bay Islands of Honduras.]

The Naval forces, Airforce and Anti-Narcotics police arrived on Utila by boat and helicopter. Camouflaged men with ski masks and machine guns quickly aligned the main boulevard, surprising the locals and piquing the curiosity of tourists. Despite the military presence, the atmosphere was calm and orderly; the authorities conducted themselves admirably, avoiding any actions that might be misconstrued.

Throughout the day, the various sectors of police and military were canvasing the island, searching homes with restraint, and interviewing residents. No one has been arrested in connection with this incident as yet, and no contraband found.

Back on the runway, the plane sat, minus its back seats, empty of any cargo and splashed with gasoline; apparently, it had been prepped for burning before the inhabitants escaped. Authorities searched the aircraft, and then reassembled it for flight. The plane had enough of the right type of equipment for authorities to believe that illegal substances had been aboard.

The plane was removed from Utila at about 6:00 pm, and transported to the Caraccioli Moncada Héctor airbase in La Ceiba. It will remain in custody at that location. Within the same time frame, Naval forces congregated by the main pier, answered a few questions from residents, and departed aboard the naval boat. The Airforce helicopter, on their way out, was heard overhead.


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