Massive Law Enforcement Effort Destroys Fifty-four Million Dollars in Marijuana
On Tuesday, the US Embassy, through its Office of Public Affairs, issued a press release in which it announced the discovery and destruction of marijuana with a street value of twenty-seven million U.S. dollars; that’s fifty-four million Belize dollars. The joint five-day operation included participation from the B.D.F., the Belize Coast Guard, the Anti-Drug Unit and the Mobile Interdiction Unit. The mission was made possible through support from the U.S. Army’s Joint Task Force Bravo, stationed in Honduras, which provided three helicopters. This is only one of several such operations which have yielded significant returns, and B.D.F. Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Shepherd, told News Five that they can see the difference in local production already.
Lt. Col. Raymond Shepherd, Chief of Staff, Belize Defence Force
Raymond Shepherd
“These operations are intelligence driven, so we get information from our patrols that do routine patrols in the jungle, and then we’ll coordinate these with our strategic partners, particularly the United States Southern Command for their helicopter support. In this particular operation, between the twenty-ninth of September and the third of October 2014, the Belize Defence force stood shoulder to shoulder with members of the Belize Police Department and the Belize Coast Guard which yielded the discovery and destruction of fifty-two thousand eight hundred and ninety-five marijuana plants. Two fields were located in the Orange Walk District, which yielded three thousand three hundred and fifty plants; in the Cayo District four fields which yielded ten thousand seven hundred and four plants, and in the Toledo District the greatest yield was twenty-two fields – thirty-eight thousand eight hundred and forty-one plants.”
Reporter
“Could you tell us if you all have seen the effects of all this destruction that has been taking place in this and past operations?”
Lt. Col. Raymond Shepherd
“Certainly. Evidence of this is the decrease in discovery in the north. In March we conducted a similar operation and in the north we destroyed twenty-six thousand plants. In this operation we only discovered and destroyed three thousand plants.”
The joint operation reported that there were no confrontations during the destruction. They believe that anybody who might have been in or around the marijuana fields left the area when they heard the helicopters coming.
WHATS THE BIG DEAL….. MARIJUANA IS THE HEALING OF THE NATION…. WHY DON’T THEY HELP ARREST OUR CORRUPT POLITICIANS N POLICE OFFICERS…. THEY LEGALIZING WEED IN THE U.S BUT YET HAVE TIME TO MESS AROUND IN BZ… SSMMMHHH
Just one question, please. Which is more important, mahogany trees or marijuana? All that effort to destroy a weed that is widely smoked all over the world when the Chiquibul and all her valuable resources are at risk and neglected. We need to get our priorities straight.
Hatari and others wonder why bother. Well the US govt has given them money to find drugs and increase the police state. The US govt loves to fund police activities anywhere it can. The phony drug war is a great boogy man they can all huff and puff about. How else are they going to get into your business? We are so important, shiny govt costumes, big guns, warrentless searches, check points, mmmmm sexy.
Di same way we sell di rosewood we shoudda sell di weed to the americans cause it legal inna fi dem country. I surprise dem politrickcians lose dis chance fi mek money. Why waste so much time di destroy weed when di hard drugs like crack need cracking down pon?
America making millions of weed but they don’t want you the small country to make it too
Can we get US helicopters to help protect our boarders. No !! Weed is a weed. Can never be eliminated. Some US states have come to grips with this, yet our foolish politicians with other foolish misguided government minions waste precious resources to destroy a little weed. The behemoth neighbor up north feed us crap and our government goes along with the raws. Religion is the opium of the masses. Weed is the salvation of the masses. We go through life hopefully with some happiness before we die and all these fools can think about is to destroy “some” weed. You can never destroy weed. It was placed on this earth by the Almighty and has been here since the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve partook of the holy sacrament. The white man (devil) keeps trying to eph up the world since the beginning. They are the cause of all evil- and “ebola”..Would they spend millions on helping the poor in Belize? NO. They want to take away our weed; that’s impossible. Let them go to Syria with their helicopters. Run them raws out of Belize with their Trojan helicopters.