Bail Granted for Four Pine Ridge Drug Plane Suspects
Four men, including Miguel Angel Zetina, Edwin Armando Gonzalez, Jaime Umberto Maz, and Edilberto Medrano were granted bail on Wednesday by Justice Antoinette Moore when they appeared before the Supreme Court in Belmopan. The quartet was arrested and charged a few weeks ago for the landing of a drug plane in the vicinity of Hidden Valley in Mountain Pine Ridge. According to the men, they were on a routine hunting trip in that area, despite not catching any game. Subsequently recovered from the location were twenty-five bales of cocaine. A badly injured Mexican pilot was also captured in the area a few days later. While they were initially denied bail when they appeared in the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court on November thirtieth, they were granted freedom on several conditions. Earlier today, News Five spoke with attorney Bryan Neal. Yesterday, we had an application heard virtually by Justice Antoinette Moore and in respect of my four clients bail was granted. In fact, [for] all of them, bail was granted.
Isani Cayetano
“Can you speak to us on the application, if there was any, filed for the injured pilot?”
On the Phone: Bryan Neal, Attorney-at-law
“His application wasn’t before the judge on that day and I don’t represent that accused.”
Isani Cayetano
“What are the conditions in respect of your clients?”
On the Phone: Bryan Neal
“My clients were ordered to return to court, naturally. They are to sign in to the police station on Tuesday and Friday. They were ordered to surrender their travel documents and as well, the court ordered that they surrender any phone numbers that they use on a regular basis or that was registered in their names. They had to surrender it to the court, which has already been done. In fact, I just got a call about twenty minutes ago saying that they would be released this evening in about half an hour to an hour’s time because they have met the bail requirements. It’s forty thousand dollars bail which was the amount or two sureties of twenty thousand dollars each which required land documents, but because they were remanded for three weeks and something they were able, in that time, to secure the proper documents. So it was just a matter of getting the bail applications heard and we are grateful that the judge gave us a hearing before Christmas so that, all things considered, they will be home with their families for Christmas which is very pleasing to me as their attorney.”
Isani Cayetano
“When do they return to court?”
On the Phone: Bryan Neal
“February twenty-second we have to go back to the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court at which point I will apply for a disclosure date because so far the prosecution has said that they are continuing their investigation but they haven’t released any evidence so far. So I want to know what evidence they have and I will make that application on the twenty-second of February in San Ignacio.”
