Drug lord bought Belizean passport

The drugs might have already been destroyed, but the accused traffickers are still getting used the to loss of their liberties. The four men and one woman appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court this morning to plead for bail. The already sensational case has gained even more hype after local media revealed that one of the accused: Jorge Carlos Moreno, bought his Belize passport. News 5 has learned that Moreno received his passport and his certificate of citizenship seven days before his arrest. But more scandalously, the documents are signed by Minister of Labour Valdemar Castillo. And all this after a government decree that the sale of passports would stop. With more on the case, here’s News 5’s Ann Marie Williams.

Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting

Tight security surrounded the four men and one woman charged with the trafficking of three thousand, three hundred and seventy-eight pounds of cocaine, as they appeared in court for a bail hearing today. They are thirty-eight year old Jorge Carlos Moreno, Oscar Moreno twenty-seven, Zulema Carrasco twenty-five, Liston McCord thirty-eight and seventeen year old Linda Alamilla.

The country’s biggest drug bust brought out some big names in the legal profession. And after listening to both defence attorneys and the prosecutor, Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord said, “No bail, but if you wish you can go to the Supreme Court. All of you are remanded until December fifth.”

Prosecutor Lindbergh Willis making his submission this morning in Magistrate’s Court number one, told Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord that they should not be granted bail based on the gravity of the offence and the severity of the punishment if they are found guilty. He concluded by saying that all of the defendants except for Mr. and Mrs. McCord hold a Mexican passport, and that they have no business interests, family or children in Belize.

But Jorge Carlos Moreno does have a Belizean passport, number A009091 and a certificate of registration of citizenship of Belize, signed by Minister of Labour Valdemar Castillo. Both the passport and certificate of registration of citizenship, were issued on October first, 2001, one week before his arrest.

And it is based on that premise that Senior Counsel Simeon Sampson and Bernard Q. Pitts argued that there is absolutely no evidence against McCord and Moreno to hold them, and that they are Belizeans. Sampson said, “bail is a discretion vested in the constitution and it must be exercised judicially.”

Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.

Attorneys Michel Chebat and Ellis Arnold are also part of the defence team.