Plane Hijacked for Narco-trafficking; Belizeans Involved
More details are surfacing as the investigation continues into the theft and subsequent crash of a Maya Island Air plane in Placencia Village on Monday morning. As has been reported, four armed men accosted one of two KBH security guards posted at the airstrip on the peninsula, before a Cessna Caravan turboprop aircraft was stolen. But seconds after liftoff, the airplane clipped a lamppost and crashed to the ground before bursting into flames, killing both pilots. Tonight, in a one-on-one interview with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, News Five’s Duane Moody finds out more about the investigation.
Duane Moody, Reporting
A leased Maya Island Air plane, valued at approximately three million U.S. dollars, was stolen from the Placencia Airport under the cover of darkness on Monday morning. It is unclear if weather conditions or a mechanical malfunction resulted in the plane crash landing a few seconds after taking off. Inside the cockpit were two individuals who perished in the fire that erupted upon impact. IDs recovered suggest that they were of Argentinean and Venezuelan nationalities.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Police visited the area and they found a Maya Island Air plane engulfed in flames near the hub area on the Placencia peninsula and the fire department was called. The fire extinguished and after having extinguished the fire, it was learnt that two burnt human remains were found inside the plane. Checks made on those individuals who were found inside the plane revealed a Venezuelan ID and one of Argentinean national.”
The Belize Police Department has been in contact with international agencies, as well as the Immigration and Civil Aviation departments in Belize, to find out how these men got into the country, their individual profiles and what led to the deadly crash. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams confirms that the men entered the country illegally.
Chester Williams
“We believe that both persons came in illegally because we had checked with immigration and immigration has confirmed that there were no records to indicate that these two individuals came into the country through our legal port of entry. We have also made checks with our Venezuelan counterparts and we have obtained certain information. I have put together a team of investigators, comprising of major crime. We also have members of the DEA from the embassy assigned to that investigation and they are working with the DEA counterparts in both Argentina and Venezuela to ascertain the type of activities those two individuals may have been involved in within their respective countries. Likewise the Civil Aviation is also a part of that investigation; they are looking to see what may have caused the accident.”
As is believed to be the case in illicit plane landings, ComPol Chester Williams says that without a doubt, Belizeans facilitated this incident. The captain of the boat had to have had knowledge of how to navigate the shallow waters in that area. Surveillance footages show that eight men arrived in the area by boat. There was also a vehicle involved.
Chester Williams
“We still need to ascertain which Belizeans may have been in cahoots with them because certainly they had to have had help locally. And so we are trying to establish which Belizeans may have been in cahoots with them. So the investigation is still ongoing and we are hoping at the conclusion, we will be able to find the answers that we need.”
Duane Moody
“The security guard claimed that there were four armed men who accosted him, but then there were only two in the plane crash.”
Chester Williams
“It is showing, by the use of the surveillance footages from the airstrip, that there may have been as much as eight individuals who went there. And yes, they came in both boats and vehicles. Shortly after the plane took off, the boat and the vehicle was seen speeding off from the area. Like I said, we are still trying to ascertain exactly who those persons are and like I said, we believe that they may be Belizeans who are involved with them. It could also be that the boat came directly from Honduras or some neighbouring country and went directly to that area to do what they needed to do in terms of the stealing of that aircraft. So those are things we are still looking at to get to the bottom of this investigation.”
Evidence recovered from the wreckage suggests that the stolen aircraft was to be used for narco-trafficking.
Chester Williams
“All indications would indicate that that plane was being stolen to go and do an illicit run, perhaps from South America to Belize. They had extra bottles of fuel in the aircraft which suggests that they were going on a long run. So we will see how that turns out at the end of the investigation.”
As to how the men gained access to the aircraft, News Five understands that the doors on a CESSNA Caravan aircraft do not carry a lock and that the ignition on an aircraft is simply a switch.
Chester Williams
“Perhaps they might have looked at the weaknesses of the Placencia airstrip and that’s something that the local airlines would have to look into to see how best they can, along with the assistance of Civil Aviation, enhance security at these airstrips where planes are being left overnight. I know that at the international [airport] is different and as well as the municipal [airstrip], but when it comes to the airstrip in Placencia and maybe Punta Gorda Town, those are two where they might need to look at enhancing their level of security.”
The transnational narcotics trade threatens national and regional security.
Chester Williams
“Yes the police department, the coast guard, the B.D.F. and even immigration have been doing a lot to ensure that we maintain the integrity of our border areas. But again, you would know that we have very porous borders and the maritime domain is extremely open and so it is easy for person to come from Guatemala or Honduras through the sea and enter into Belize. So as much as yes we would want to see more security in terms of maintaining the integrity of our borders, it is going to be an extremely difficult thing for us to do.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
