MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil shoots down clandestine aircraft carrying drugs

The airplane was deemed hostile and acted on accordingly

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) Wednesday shot down a plane that clandestinely entered from Venezuela carrying drugs. The measure was within legal protocols, it was explained. The aircraft was intercepted and instructed to land but failed to comply.

Hence, it was declared hostile and shot down, resulting in the deaths of two individuals on board. An unspecified quantity of drugs was found inside the wreckage.

The mission was part of Operation Ostium, aimed at combating illegal activities on Brazil's borders. It was carried out according to airspace policing measures. This incident highlights the challenges of controlling the porous border between Brazil and Venezuela, which is often used by criminal groups for drug trafficking.

According to the FAB, an H-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the Seventh Squadron of the Eighth Aviation Group and Federal Police officers were sent to the crash site. Inside the aircraft, two bodies and a load of drugs were found. The Brazilian authorities did not explain what type of plane it was or where it was intercepted.

The action followed ”all the protocols of the Airspace Policing Measures (MPEA),“ consisting of investigations to determine the identity of an aircraft and monitor the behavior of the suspicious plane, followed by intervention measures instructing the intercepted aircraft to change course and land followed by warning shots.

”Failing to comply with the coercive procedures described in Decree No. 5,144, the aircraft was classified as hostile and thus subjected to a, which consists of firing shots to prevent the flight from continuing,“ the FAB explained in a statement. Such a measure is a last resort and was activated after the intercepted aircraft failed to comply with procedures and forced the illicit flight to continue. ”With the execution of the Detention Shot, the intercepted aircraft, classified as hostile, collided with the ground,” the FAB said.