Island Princess Spotted off coast of Spice Isle

Story extracted from Guyana Chronicle

The cargo vessel ‘The Island Princess’ which was reported missing on September 29, last, when the gutted bodies of three men believed to be members of the boat’s crew floated up in the Essequibo, was spotted yesterday by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) off the coast of Grenada, according to release from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The release further stated, “The Government of Guyana has authorised the State Powers controlling the appropriate Maritime Task Force to enter Guyana’s territorial waters in control of the apprehended vessel and to have the said vessel moored at Port Georgetown under the supervision and control of the competent Guyanese Law Enforcement Authorities”

Local investigators had sought the assistance of Interpol and friendly law enforcement agencies through the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) after the gutted and decomposed bodies said to be those of Ryan Chin, Mahendra Singh and Titus Nascimento floated up in the Essequibo.

The bodies of Thomas and Singh were found in the vicinity of Wakenaam and Hamburg Island on September 29 and 30.

The third body was found on the Essequibo foreshore.

Subsequent searches for the vessel and another crew member Rickford Bannister came up empty handed.

The owner of the vessel, Errol Prince, a miner, has, according to reports, said the boat was contracted out at the time it went missing.