ComPol Williams Addresses the State of Affairs in San Pedro

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams also weighed in on the general state of affairs on Ambergris Caye as it pertains to the trafficking of illegal firearms and drugs. He noted that the island is close in proximity to Xcalak, Mexico and that it is not lost on the department that drugs and guns are trafficked using this route. ComPol Williams stated that narco-traffickers are operating in the open sea at an increasing rate. This has led to an increase in wet drops and individuals combing the beaches looking for a quick come up.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

Chester Williams

“Well we do know there is the issue with the playadors in North Ambergris Caye and that is one of the reasons why we had set up the forward operating base on North Ambergris Caye where we currently have it and then we also have the Coast Guard base which is much more up from where we have our base. You would know again that because we often release this information to the media, that on numerous occasion police have found parcels of drugs in that channel on North Ambergris Caye and those drugs have always revealed to be cocaine except for one instance where the parcel was cannabis. But we constantly patrol along that area, targeting the playadors, all in a view to prevent them from walking the beach and looking for drugs. But, the police cannot live on the beaches and they will take opportunity when police is not patrolling, to go and search. And certainly what we are understanding is that a whole bale may have been found by the individual. That is going to pose serious problem. I want to appeal to people, whenever you find these drugs please surrender it to the police. Keeping it and trying to dispose of it only bring problems to you and your family and I don’t think your life worth a couple kilos of cocaine, it doesn’t worth that.”