Arrests made in Dangriga jacking

A drug deal gone wrong in Dangriga has left one resident suffering from bullet wounds and the gunman on the run. The official version, according to the police, tells a tale of businessman Orlando Habet being lured out of his St. Vincent Street home late Thursday night, taken by car to Gumagarugu Road and then shot when he did not produce the money his attackers demanded. But reliable sources tell News Five a different story emerging from the same facts. Those reports allege that Habet is involved in the drug trade and he was having a late night meeting with prospective cocaine buyers when things went sour. It is believed that the purchase money Habet had in his possession was also stolen before he was shot with a nine millimetre handgun. Luckily for Habet, both bullets exited without hitting vital organs and after receiving medical treatment at the Southern Regional Hospital, he was released on Friday. Subsequent police investigations into the shooting have led to the arrest of two Salvadorans: forty-six year old Jorge Valencia and twenty-five year old Glenda Moralez; thirty-three year old Honduran Delmar Maradel and twenty-five year old Belizean James McKenzie. All four have since been charged with the crime of conspiracy to commit robbery. The alleged triggerman is still on the loose but Habet was able to identify his attacker to investigators and tonight they hope to have that man in custody shortly. Our own research into the allegations tying Orlando Habet to illicit drugs has revealed that one day before he was shot, Habet was detained and released by Orange Walk police for suspicion of drug trafficking. It must be noted that Orlando Habet is not the same Orlando Habet who has served as Mayor of San Ignacio.