Suspected drug plane goes down and burns in Orange Walk

In northern Belize, a second suspected drug plane has been found in less than six months to signal that the drug trade is thriving. The burnt scrap of the aircraft was discovered in a remote cornfield near Hill Bank, Orange Walk, on Sunday morning.  A joint taskforce comprised of police officers and B.D.F. personnel was called to the far-off location where they saw the vestiges of the small plane.  While nothing was found at the scene to substantiate the transportation of illicit cargo, it is believed that the grounded aircraft was used for illicit activities. But there were no signs of a pilot or passengers in the vicinity.  The landing, according to Assistant Superintendent Alejandro Cowo, was illegal, since there are no civil aviation approved runways in that immediate area. The details, as it relates to the origins of the aircraft, have not been confirmed by aviation authorities.  

ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“Orange Walk police received information of a plane somewhere in the Hill Bank area.  As a result police and BDF personnel proceeded to the Hill Bank area where they observed in a cornfield an aircraft completely destroyed by fire.”

Reporter

“I understand that information, specific information was received.  Are you all able to say if any activity was seen around the plane and if there’s any indication that, obviously it was an illegal landing because no flight plan was launched.  But is there, was there any signs of illicit activity or any reports that illicit activity had been seen in or around the plane?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“So far we don’t have information that anything illegal was seen in the area.  The only information that the police received about this plane in that area, hence the reason they proceed there and they found the plane completely destroyed by fire.”

Reporter

“Are you able to say the type of plane?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“No, I am not aware of the type of plane at this moment.”

Reporter

“And then as it regards the location, I understand it’s fairly near to the Mexico border.  Was it an illegal landing area or what?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

 “It is suspected to have been illegal; it is in a cornfield so it has to be illegal.”

Reporter

“I’m sorry, I should have specified.  Was it a landing strip or was it that they just landed on corn, or was it just a little landing area carved out?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

 “It just landed on the plain cornfield.”

Reporter

“Okay, on the plain cornfield, so it wasn’t what they’d call an unauthorized airstrip per se.  Okay, so are you all drawing any conclusions if it was drug-related?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

 “Well, we are looking at that angle at this moment, you know.  The police and the BDF are working together to establish exactly what happened out there.”

In May of this year, a small aircraft was found up north though the police did not at the time confirm the precise location. It was also suspected that the Piper PA-23-250 aircraft was used for illegal activities. That plane, however, was in good working condition and was transported to the Philip Goldson Airport. A third suspected drug plane, landed in the La Democracia area of the Belize District in November 2016.  But by the time the Anti-Narcotics Unit and B.D.F. personnel arrived at the location, the pilot had removed the seats, loaded cargo presumably drugs, and taken off. But at the time, police found twenty drums of aviation fuel, batteries, electrical wire and the seats.