Belizean drug suspects interrogated in Cozumel

And in a much bigger drug case closer to home, four Belizeans and a Honduran remain in custody in Cozumel, Mexico tonight after they were caught in a boat with nearly three thousand pounds of cocaine. According to reports from the Mexican press, special agents of the anti-drug squad arrived in Cozumel from Mexico City over the weekend to interrogate the suspects. No charges have yet been filed against William Martinez, Kevin Lincoln Smith, Miguel Perez and Francisco Nunez, all of whom live in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The fifth suspect, Honduran Jesus Castillo, was wounded in a gun battle during their capture by Mexican authorities and remains hospitalized.

Sources here indicate that the drug boat was first detected headed towards San Pedro and members of the Belize Police Department, accompanied by U.S. D.E.A. agents, set out to intercept it. A chase ensued in which the smugglers headed out into international waters. Help from Mexico was summoned and vessels of that country’s navy, aided by helicopters, made the arrests on the high seas. The cocaine is believed to have originated in Colombia and was destined for eventual distribution in the United States.