Joint police-BDF-U.S. Army exercise targets drugs
It wasn’t widely known outside of law enforcement circles, but over the last week the police and B.D.F. received some high powered help from our big uncle to the north. Today authorities held a briefing for the press and while the mission didn’t make any major busts, the joint effort is said to bode well for the future.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Operation Strikeout, a large scale mission to prevent the shipment of drugs to the United States through Belize, deployed members of the Belize Defence Force, Police Department and U.S. Army to the districts and cayes. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Hugh Cain the intensive one-week exercise produced impressive results.
Hugh Cain, Assistant Commissioner of Police
“As soon as the operation got underway we had some success in the first twenty-four hours. We found a Colombian vessel out at Long Caye, that they had stripped, taken the engines off and the equipment. And obviously we were a little too late in this instance, and they had done their business and they ditched the vessel. We brought that vessel to Caye Caulker.”
“In the north in Corozal, the vehicle patrol picked up four hundred and fifty grams, which is about a pound of crack cocaine as a part of their search…We found two firearms during the period of this operation. A total of one hundred and forty-six vehicles were searched at different checkpoints that were established for short periods of time throughout the country. And we had about fifty houses that were searched during the operation.”
The U.S. counterpart of the mission included forces based in Honduras and Key West Florida. Three Blackhawk Helicopters were attached to the mission and although their appearance is intimidating, their use is primarily for troop movement. One of the choppers is used only for medical and evacuation purposes.
Captain Shaun Bailey, U.S. Army
“We have medical equipment set on board an a six point six liter carousel as well as a high performance hoist for jungle rescues..”
Jose Sanchez
“How has it been used in the past?”
Capt. Shaun Bailey
“In the past we’ve done a lot of humanitarian work, we’ve been to El Salvador for the earthquakes. We’ were here in Belize in October, and we also do on call missions all over Central America for Medevac.”
Though the operation may have made only a small dent in the drug trade, it provided a necessary exercise in co-operation and communication.
Hugh Cain
“The success of the operation is not so much in the statistics or in the cause but in our ability to come together and to be able to work jointly to work, speak the same language and with the same interests. When they leave from here, we will continue to fight our war against drugs anyway in Belize.”
Reporting for News 5, Jose Sanchez.
The U.S. soldiers and helicopters are scheduled to depart on Thursday.
