Duo Freed of Criminal Charges After Arresting Officer Fails to Appear

Two men charged with drug trafficking and possession of firearm and ammunition without a gun license were freed of the charges today. They are thirty-three year old Carlos Lopez and thirty-seven-year-old Peter Schmidt. The duo was arrested and charged in December 2017 after they were reportedly busted in Belize City with five kilos of cocaine. Officers also found a nine-millimeter pistol and several rounds of ammunition in the vehicle the men were travelling in. In court today, their attorney Ellis Arnold made a ‘no-case’ submission since the arresting officer failed to appear today. Senior Magistrate Ford upheld the submission and ordered the case struck out.