Police officers still arrested after $140 Million of cocaine found
More than thirty-six hours after one of the biggest cocaine seizures, five police officers and a customs boatman are still in custody of the Punta Gorda police as investigations continue into Saturday’s international drug smuggling operation on the Southern Highway. Corporals Vidal Cajun and Nelson Middleton; the driver assigned to the GG, Sergeants Lawrence Humes and Jacinto Roches, and Harold Usher have so far only been charged with possession of unlicensed ammunition. Police headquarters in Belmopan has now assumed control of the investigation in which its very own are implicated. The officers are mum but it is confirmed that the cocaine originated from Colombia; it was landed at about two in the morning on a Beechcraft King Air 200 which could not take off from the highway because of a clipped wing. Police are contemplating the destruction of the more than two tons of the Colombian coke. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The seizure of two point six tons of Colombian cocaine in southern Belize over the weekend has again raised red flags on the breach of Belize’s national security. The government is yet to issue details on the international drug operation in which law enforcement officers have been detained and from what we know, the investigations have been been taken over by the Police Department, through its headquarters in Belmopan, where two of the suspects are stationed. The other person detained, is a boatman for the Belize Customs & Excise Department.
Tonight the men remain in detention inside a holding cell at the Punta Gorda Police Station until investigators are able to forward a directive for them to be transferred to the Central Prison in Hattieville. They have not as yet been interdicted but are currently on remand after being arraigned on Monday for possession of unlicensed ammunition and in one instance possession of an unlicensed firearm. It is expected that additional charges will also be brought against the group upon completion of a review of evidence presented to the Director of Public Prosecutions following their arrest.
On Saturday morning members of the Belize Special Assignment Group were alerted to a twin engine aircraft that landed on a stretch along the Southern Highway near Bladden Village in South Stann Creek. The executive jet had been gutted and retrofitted for the freight of eighty bails of cocaine. While the country of origin has been confirmed it is unclear which cartel operating in the South American nation of Colombia is responsible for the transshipment of this substantive cargo of drugs. The insignia on the single kilo is that of a scorpion, above it are the block letters LR. The symbols suggest that the product is that of the famed Cali Cartel once led by Henry Loaiza-Ceballos whose alias El Alacran translates to the English word scorpion.
henry loaiza-ceballos
The many questions that are being asked in the wake of this sizeable bust revolve around the effectiveness of anti-drug operations in Belize and now, their infiltration by drug lords. It is suspected that the Drug Enforcement Agency had a hand in the bust and had tipped the BDF and Belize Special Assignment Group.
ottoniel turcios
The agency is known to be operating in Belize because the country has long been used as a conduit for the transfer of drugs from South to North America. Recently, a suspected Guatemalan drug lord, Ottoniel Turcios Marroquin was arrested in San Ignacio where he had been living legally and promptly handed over to the DEA. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
First, the Bella Vista police are HEROES whose bravery and integrity must be commended and rewarded. It’s hard to find honest cops here! I nominate them to replace Hon.Carlos Perdomo to clean up National Security.
I assume the same brave officers are also in jeopardy, because cartels don’t like to lose their filthy profit. These men must be protected at all cost.
The police department and the customs department stinks of pure corruption i say!!….How can you have the corrupt police department investiating its own corrupt officers??? How can you have the minister of immigration investigating its own corrupt officials??? I already know…nothing will come out of any of this…. deh di put the wolf fi watch the sheep…..Belize is in a really really sad state when you can’t trust even the upholders of the law……
What the…? Police are CONTEMPLATING destroying the cocaine? I think it should be done and videotaped and shown to everyone, because if it’s not, I can see where some of it will “disappear”. I’m not saying any authorities would be involved in any wrong-doing in this country (since they have all been such shining examples lately), but right now, ppl need PROOF for anything they do RIGHT!
The Corrupt National Security Organization that exist in Belize are even bolder now that they can
corrupt there subordinates and make the public believe that it had been those of lower ranks
and status who alone had committed these various crimes of Drug trafficking, Human
trafficking, etc. It would be a lesson learned on their part when the same persons they have
corrupted and allowed for these crimes to be committed, to turn on them and bite back-Hertular
is in American jail implicating ministers and others for their involvement in Drug trafficking and
they are disowning him..You poor Belizeans who work for the Belize Government is time that
you ask the question Why/–especially if you are given a questionable assignment.
So these guys are in a cell in the PG police station, not five separate cells but a single cell,
good going PG police this way they can collaborate their stories and make it easy for them to beat this rap, this kind of thing should never happen when more than one person is arrested for a crime the only time that they should be allowed to be together is if a police officer is able to listen to their conversations otherwise they should always be held separate I think it’s just basic common sense in police work.
Mr Roches, I hope this is your wife or girlfriend in the picture & not a go-between.
How secure are these guys in a PG holding cell & how much information does the DEA have on them so that after they beat the rap here they are extradited for trial in the US.
oh i wouldn’t object is the u.s wants this sobs extradited i’d be more than happy because here they’ll get away with the sale out judges and dpp but in the u.s they’ll screw ther candy till they talk how and who is working with them. please people don’t feel pity because if we do these things will never stop.
roaches wife look colombian and why is he allowed to have physical visit with his wife?? and why isnt he in handcuffs?? and why does he still have that 1986 hair cut??and what was she thinking messing with a lil ugly guy like roaches?? is he alfonso roaches bredda the ifamous sexual chocolate from punta gorda aka ‘let me chop your yard please mista”??francis roaches i hope u reading this.damiana go have to sell lotta bulla fi bail jasminto and mario go have to beat drums hard fi raise money fi bail out his nephew.and just in case unu wonder who me da pot licka the indian bway text mi everyday fi give me the highlight from p.g.pot licka the drunken indian weh always de by market di hangout with the famous saddam and bulge eye
All those involved in the destruction of our National Security should be hanged as traitors from the biggest to the smallest fish. These breaches in our security are an invitation for an attack from Guatemala or god knows who else. Shame and Disgrace
Roaches is the leader of this Cartel Gang in Belize along with David Henderson, watch those guys carefully and deal with them to the fullest extent of the law, those corrupt mada…….
It’s not his wife or girlfriend its the wife of one of his cousins who got married the previous day, greeting him as he wanted to apologize about missing his cousin’s wedding. People should stop jumping to conclusions based on zero.
Oh my word that is not his wife! She isn’t Columbian, got married to someone else the previous day and he wanted to apologize about missing the wedding! Good grief people like to write some stupid things all based on one photo…so many family and friends went to visit him and people just assume that person is his wife/girlfriend/cartel leader just because that’s the picture that ended up in the media…pure nonsense.
ALICE since u got beef let me let u in on something this kid is just the son of a goddamn market keeper growing up out of a rundown wooden shack across the street from paw wee and gueh so dont get froggy ms alice we know exactly who everyone in this party is and of course he couldnt make this wedding bcuz he was busy carrying aviation fuel for the planes that landed on the southern highway .SINCE u want me to explain why he couldnt make the wedding ahh poor baby
SABUSKI only talk on facts base on actuality and reality im not a gossiper i know what im talkin about . email me if u like sukondeeznuts@gmailorg
I don tell unu only d small get caught n shown to us.wen wil d big ones b brought to justice we want to c there faces caz d police harass d lee small man out de n they r d biggest DRUG CARTEL,ROBBERS,and much more too much to mention
Asking to destroy the cocaine is another PLOT TO FOOL BELIZEANS into believing that it will be done. But if it happens make sure you have the public witness it, in fact, just sell it to DEA, they can use it as bait for other cartels. If left to Bz authority the cocaine will turn into FLOUR, YOU GO FIGURE, BETTER SELL TO DEA AND GET SOME MONEY TO HELP THE POOR NEEDY, NOT THE RICH NEEDY.
I don’t think its nice for someone to involve Roaches family them its out right low an you should not talk for it could have been one of your family member this had happen to so mine how you throw you stone it might well bounce back an break your windows my heart goes out to the family for only them know how their shoes will fit them an we should just wait an see where justice will be place an i can tell u they will be free from all what they are saying they don’t even don’t know where to start an those bails it will buy some people over an we all as belizeans better go down to the station an get a little so you all can juggle for the CARTEL’S ARE TRYING THEIR BEST TO GET BACK THAT AN I AN SAY THAT THEY WILL AMBUSH SECURITY FOR these people are no joke, just a advice. for big top officials are involved an its just a matter of time before the pot boil over so listen to how they will say news in that the excibit room was room with 20 bails of cocaine. that will be their sad story look belmopan where all the intelects are station but its just the system an its comes from the top in belmopan no one will talk, but some will go missing,
I agree Sandra Kolly . No one should judge you base on your family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
come on men. belize needs that money to get us out of this recession,sell d demn coke mr. barrow and get us out of poverty
how unu wa d chat bout roaches like dat unu gat issues!! he da my cuzin so frig off dis da wa serious crime weh he committ n all i haffi seh da que serra serra! all a we know dat wat he do rong but leave our family out of dis. he da wa grown @$$ man n he mek his own descisions so screw off sabuskii wa find out who u!!
I know Cito and he is not the guy your are painting. He was set up, Cito reveal the names of those ma!@#$%^ who set you up. Bredrin your name messed up, better revealed them senior bways who put u into this.
Its a shame that people can get on here and make assumptions about things and you weren’t even there…Even if that was his wife, it doesn’t matter. These men know the truth and what ever happens, happens….right?