Security Forces Work to Deter Narco Traffickers in Northern Belize

Chester Williams

We have been reporting about the presence of narco traffickers in southern Belize and how the security forces are working to mitigate those activities. But, the presence of narco traffickers is also a huge issue in northern Belize. The situation in the north has become so bad that the Government of Belize is allocating approximately one million dollars to ramp up police and B.D.F. operations in Orange Walk and Corozal Districts. We will show you some remarks that came out of Friday’s House Meeting on this matter. But first, the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, was asked about the war on drugs in the north during his appearance on Open Your Eyes this morning.  Here is what he told us.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“If we look at the whole scheme of things, the operation is not a small one. It is a huge one, because it stems from Orange Walk to Corozal. You have that entire river area that starts from Santa Cruz in the Orange Walk district, goes through Douglas, San Victor, Savannah, all of those areas are areas of concern as it relates to the operations of the Cartels. Then we have Libertad and Corozal Town, again where we are seeing that the effects of the narco trade are affecting those areas. So we have to concentrate our operations in those areas with a view to prevent any further activity or escalations and I think that so far we have been doing well. Now, have we done all we want to see get done, no. The truth is there are still other components of that operation that will go into place this week. We are awaiting some resources that we will get through the government to be able to maintain a stronger presence on the ground. I want to assure the people of both Orange Walk and Corozal districts, particularly those along the Rio Hondo River that the police is going to do what we can to make sure we stem the operations of the cartels in Belize and likewise we work with our Mexican counterparts to see how they can work on their side in dealing with the cartels on the Mexican side so they don’t cross over into Belize.”