On Tuesday, just days after the deadly MV Barima ferry disaster in Guyana, a sitting opposition parliamentarian from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) was taken into police custody over allegations of operating an unlicensed drone in the disaster response zone.
Sherod Duncan, the APNU lawmaker in question, was apprehended and transported to the Charity Police Station following the incident, Guyana’s Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond confirmed to reporters on Wednesday. According to Walrold, national aviation regulations mandate that all drone operations require official government authorization, and Duncan did not hold a valid permit for the flight he conducted. The minister also noted that Duncan was released from police custody later the same day, though she could not confirm whether he secured his release through cash bail or personal recognizance.
The arrest comes against the backdrop of an ongoing large-scale search, rescue, and recovery operation launched after the MV Barima ferry capsized last Saturday, which has left multiple people missing and sent shockwaves through the coastal South American nation. Captain Learie Barclay, head of the Aviation Operators Association of Guyana, had previously issued a public warning calling on all drone pilots to avoid the disaster response area. He emphasized that low-flying manned aircraft are actively working in the airspace to support recovery efforts, and unauthorized unmanned flight poses a serious collision risk to these critical operations.
Duncan has pushed back on the narrative that he was deliberately violating emergency flight restrictions, though he could not be reached for immediate independent comment following his release. In a post shared to his official Facebook page, titled Credible Sources, Duncan claimed he was simply engaging with local Warrao children and demonstrating a small drone to the young group when plainclothes and uniformed police officers arrived on scene, ordering him and other accompanying parliamentarians to vacate the area immediately.
If prosecutors choose to move forward with formal charges and Duncan is ultimately convicted of violating Guyana’s drone regulations, he faces significant penalties: the court could order his drone seized for a fixed period of time, and the lawmaker could also be issued a substantial monetary fine. The incident has already sparked emerging tensions between Guyana’s ruling government and opposition bloc, with many political observers watching to see how the case develops in the coming days.