Mexican National in Fear of His Life After Being Labeled a Cartel Member

Seven men, all Mexicans by nationality, have been released from police custody after being detained in Corozal earlier this week.  It was believed and subsequently reported that they were members of a notorious drug cartel who allegedly entered Belize to carry out a contract on a well-known underworld player in the north.  But an investigation into these allegations has yielded no such evidence and the men were turned over to the Immigration Department on Wednesday.  Six of them were scheduled to be expatriated to Mexico, while the seventh, Javier Martinez, has been granted permission to remain in Belize.  But tonight, his attorney tells News Five that Martinez has been receiving death threats, as a result of being wrongfully named as a member of the Caborca Cartel.  Martinez, as we’ve reported, is a civil engineer by profession and has been granted permission by the Labor Department to work in Belize for a period of one year.  Is it a gaffe that was avoidable and were the men being stereotyped?  We begin tonight’s newscast with a one-on-one with attorney Bryan Neal.

Bryan Neal

Bryan Neal, Attorney-at-law

“Six of the Mexicans are in immigration custody and they are set to be transported by immigration officials to the Mexican border and handed over to Mexican officials.  Mr. Javier Martinez, the civil engineer, he was granted permission to remain in Belize but, to be quite frank, he has been receiving death threats.  He is fearful of his safety.  I saw him this morning and he was literally shaking because of his treatment by our officials.  He has been now associated with a drug cartel.  I don’t know about the cartels, but what I know of them, they are violent people and so, for his own safety, today he requested to be surrendered to his embassy because he felt that he could not take a bus, he could not take private transportation and he feared for his life.  So we surrendered him to his embassy and hopefully they will deal with the matter from there.”

Isani Cayetano

“The other clients that you have, the six remaining Mexicans, is there a reason given why they have been turned over to immigration for deportation or expulsion back to Mexico?”

Bryan Neal

“Well they were here as visitors and it is the right of the Director of Immigrations to determine she admits people or keeps people in Belize.  So that is their right, no reason has to be given.  The permission which was granted legally and lawfully at the border has been rescinded, we have no quarrel with that.”