Cop arrested as Cayo extortion probe expands

The case of the heavily armed Mennonites arrested last week in the Cayo District is expanding and today two more suspects were charged, one of them, a police officer. P.C. Ramon Manzanero, currently stationed at San Pedro, was charged with two counts of blackmail and conspiracy to blackmail. Also charged with the same crimes were Francisco Villanueva, a Salvadoran of Armenia Village and Cornelio Marten of Lower Barton Creek. Marten had been previously charged with a number of weapons violations after police found a machine gun, revolver and several rifles in his house, along with handcuffs, masks and police uniforms. Authorities believe that Marten headed a blackmail ring in which money was extorted from several Barton Creek Mennonites who were given notes demanding four thousand dollars to prevent their children from being kidnapped. Several victims apparently paid up, but later went to police. Manzanero and Villanueva were remanded to Hattieville where they join Cornelio Marten, who was remanded last week. They return to court on August nineteenth.