San Pedro Police Destroys 100 Kilos of Drugs
The San Pedro Police Formation today carried out a drug destruction exercise on the island. More than a hundred kilos of several types of drugs were destroyed by fire. The commanding officer, Superintendent Christopher Noble says that the exercise will be an annual event. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo was on Ambergris Caye where he along with other officials witnessed the destruction.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
A quantity of illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, and pills, was destroyed today by San Pedro police. Over one hundred kilos of drugswere transported from the police station to a secure location south of San Pedro Town. Armed police officers secured the route. Commander of the Coastal Executive Unit Superintendent Christopher Noble says that some of the drugs have been in storage for a few years. He says that the contents destroyed today were those obtain through “found property” searches and cases that the court has dealt with.
Christopher Noble
Supt. Christopher Noble, Commander, Coastal Executive Unit
“Concluded cases, found property, that wound be from for different searches where one nobody was arrested. And two, concluded where cases have been concluded in the courts.”
Reporter
“How long you guys in San Pedro have been accumulating this particular quantity?”
Supt. Christopher Noble
“This quantity you would say over the last two to three years because the case that been recently concluded some are three and four years old.”
Hipolito Novelo
“And that includes drugs obtained in Caye Caulker as well?”
Supt. Christopher Noble
“Yes it is the coastal area.”
And the coastal waters of Belize have always been used as part of the transnational drug trade within the region. Noble says that the northern section of Ambergris Caye remains a concern.
Supt. Christopher Noble
“Northern is always a concern, as is the entire island.”
Reporter
“For this particular quantity are you seeing a decrease in the amount of drugs that is passing through the island?”
Supt. Christopher Noble
“I wouldn’t say a decrease because we won’t be able see what actually passes. What we have is what have been held by us in our operations, information gathering or intelligence led policing.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Okay sir, we are talking about marijuana, cocaine, any other unusual type of…”
Supt. Christopher Noble
“Some are tablets and other illicit items.”
Noble oversaw the destruction of the illicit items. As did other officials, including a magistrate and a Justice of the Peace. The destruction of the drugs took more than two and a half hours after each and every type of drug was recorded before being thrown into the fire.
Supt. Christopher Noble
“The process is that you first gather a listing, we get is approve. It takes a bit and after we get the listing approved. Then we get the local magistrate. The commander of the prosecuting section, the national forensic science service, a local justice of the peace to ensure that we go through the process. What is destroyed is what you see there.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
