$140 Million of Cocaine taken into custody
The tons of cocaine that were seized in a major operation in the south last weekend have been transported to Belize City. By any estimation, the transfer of the multi-million dollar cargo was impressive and carried out with precision by law enforcement officers. Embarrassed that members of the force have been implicated in drug smuggling, the police and the Belize Defense Force jealously guarded the load as it made its way on the Southern and Hummingbird Highways to the Old Capital. The operation interrupted the flow of traffic as it was whisked off to Raccoon Street police headquarters. The location and timing of the destruction of the cocaine is being kept under tight lid because of security concerns, but it is expected to be an event that will be witnessed by the media. The officers, who were detained near the narco-plane when the international drug operation unfolded, were transferred to the Hattieville prison today. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
A convoy of nine vehicles occupied by a squad of heavily armed military personnel raced along the Western Highway this morning en route to Belize City. In the middle of the procession was a blue van which contained a sizeable haul totaling two point six tons of Columbian cocaine seized during a major drug bust over the weekend. The fleet made its nonstop journey from the Punta Gorda Police Station to the Raccoon Street Headquarters in a little over three hours. It was a spectacle that had many onlookers staring in disbelief at what they were witnessing as some soldiers donned balaclavas while others were masked in war paint to conceal their identities. 
The route of the caravan was cordoned off near the corners of Central American Boulevard and Raccoon Street. At the payload’s final destination a detail of officers secured a one block perimeter between Iguana and Raccoon Streets with noticeable activity taking place in the background.
Until its destruction this quantity of cocaine, some eighty bales worth an estimated seventy million U.S. dollars, will remain under twenty-four hour guard. On Wednesday afternoon an application to have the drugs destroyed was filed in Magistrate’s Court in Punta Gorda where the formal request was later approved. While there have not been any additional arrests since the initial detention of five police officers and a customs boatman it is expected that other charges will be levied on those individuals.
Undoubtedly, it has been a busy six days for national security agencies across the country beginning with a twin engine airplane touching down on the Southern Highway at dawn on Saturday morning. 
The alert sent a flock of special agents into the area of San Juan Village where they later discovered crude landing gear as well as a mother load of narcotics believed to have been flown into the country from Colombia. The officers implicated, namely: Corporals Renel Grant, Vidal Cajun and Nelson Middleton as well as sergeants Lawrence Humes and Jacinto Roches have all been charged with possession of unlicensed ammunition and in one case possession of an unlicensed firearm. They were today transported to the Central Prison in Hattieville where they will remain on remand until further instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Meanwhile the product will be tested and recorded as evidence before being destroyed. The pilot of the abandoned airplane has since absconded. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
I think a lot of high ranking policemen and politicians were involved in this. This is the main problem why our country went from what I left it in 1983 to what it becomes today. The Police and potiicians are getting rich while the youths they dying in the streets. Wake up and smell the coffee people.
I can only hope the drugs will be safe there & we have enough layers of security to thwart any attempt to reclaim their product. Or has it already been flown out of the country?Good job BDF
You promised more on the Gareth Murillo story. Your word is your bond. How will you hold the ministers to their word now?
i would make the us pay belize half what these drugs are worth since we are doing their dirty work they are the ones causing this drug plague in central and south america with their insashable appetite for drugs.
we are really getting there. Columbia, Mexico, USA. all the drug wars and they are controlling parts of the border towns of the USA. Guns a blazing in Mexico and US, people a dropping… Now imagine Belize, broke and flat out. A convenient location for the trans-shipment. really convenient for passing d drugs through and really convenient to get big bucks and I say convenient because we now seeing that they are using officials to facilitate the passing through. can you imagine Belize in few years like Mexico with guns a blazing? may be with corrupted officials against honest officials. we slowly getting there. Unu look out. well I looking out for my Jesus to return.
One must be thankful that these drugs are being protected and that there are honest officers
and agents out there however the real masterminds behind this large quantity of cocaine are
still in Belize and might be planning another deal and another set of poor government workers
will be corrupted since they refuse to ask why? or do the right thing.
Planes landing and taking off–unknown individuals given visas in different parts of the world are
all part of the criminal activity that includes the criminal National security ministry of Belize and
other ministries—Arrest warrants and major arrest is the only option to solve the crime
situation of Belize–The Government of Belize plays a pivotal role in all of this. There exist highly
reliable evidence.
The labor force needs to help the history of Belize. The labor force, the common people needs
to take over for themselves so that the powerful rich cannot dominate the poor man and corrupt
them as they see it fit. History has proven that over time the poor man gets rich, smarter and
conscious about reality. Belizeans its in your best interest that you help history and remove that
blocking wall that stand between you and a better life. Make it history. GET THEM BELIZEANS.
Yes they have all these police officer for when they found the plane it was empty but the big fish that got the contract to make sure that belize authorities don’t get hold of their pilot was paid big money, an you officers that are pretending not to want the belizean public to know who is behind this well speak or i shall blast it out an that will be the scandal for life in the history of belize but i hope the DEA will spill the beans but this officer is a well known dealers an he is with the police force for a number of years he help others get what they have today, well keep turning your heads well since the last commissioner left office this is the biggest drug bust but the big one tat was guided out of belize was with top guns like those who built a huge mansion an don’t even owe the bank an thats what the DEA is looking at so he is not out of the cold its just a matter of time i am telling you thai for the next amount that they can’t find well leave it to the nice ride that will be on the streets of belmopan in just a few months an then some prove will be shown that their salary can’t afford that but the high officials are just leaning back an make matters worse but i know these small time police officers where set up but by next week i will have that name out in public so that the world will know who is behind this ring…..
Perhaps, they will destroy flour and stashed the coke?????
i just figured out how we managed to intercept this illicit cargo. Remember a week or 2 ago there was a Guatemalan national who was extradited extrajudicially to US. I bet you the DEA told him to give them some info so that they can use that info as mitigation for the Guate when he is being sentenced in US. Though I bet you that that info will not in anyway reduce the Guate’s sentence.
Sell the dope to the zetas and help the poor people who were and are still stricken by hurricane richard,maybe barrow could negotiate wah deal.
sure dis was not d first time a plane has landed in that area.earlier dis year 1 landed and was refueled by security forces from independence police .they was caught by d anti drug unit as d plane left .but because an ex member of their team was involve ,alias[tribe],nothing was done.the following day he bought a new brand vehicle ,then use it to patrol when on duty ,you are been watch also mate.
Imagine this is only one deal that was caught and only because the plane got damage on the trees…….Imagine how many got through…..This has been going on for many many years….many people have died and are still dying. ….while the people doing it gets richer and richer…and destroy countless lives in the process.
Sandra Kolly:
Don’t hold your breath for the officers to come forward with names, spill the beans. Give up that name or those names. We Belizaeans want to know. Shame on them.
I honestly don’t believe that the Belize authority is going to destroy $140 million dollars in cocain. With the corruption that’s going on in Belize, a lot of this dope is still going to reach its final destination, the streets of the U.S. They probably going to buy a lot of flour from flour mill and destroy that instead of the cocain. $140,000,000.00 is a lot money. Would you destroy it? Think about it.
2.6 tons of FLOUR will be destroyed.
let see…i dont know if di 2 minister of national security an police an the prime minister an the whole UDP party think the bzean ppl are retarded…we know dat dis if from the top…from the prime minister rite down to lil runner they arrested..but see bzean r coward to stand up an fight…all we care about is gettin money an having life gud jus for the family…wake up bze..only a few ppl are eating from the large plate of the financies….remember wen the minister of police came into office….jus day after u hear his boats unlicensed found hidden in some magroove..then there is a couple of plane that landed an took off the public doesnt know about both up north an south…den the illegal flight wit human trafficers an human being being trafficin.. then further more scandal of human trafficin…then now this…an if it was a tip off from DEA or outside info…police wud have let it passed…i bet the new did say it was the bdf special force that spoil the plan an not the police department…someone high didnt get their cut in security forces dats y the plan spoiled (dat being the general)…let us be clear if DEA or ne outside security source isnt involve that product might have already been change to flour….our security forces cannot stand up to ne of the cartels…if mexico or the us cant get rid of dem an ketch dem leader then now way is bze able to sustain a war again ne cartel or hold dem product wit out sufferin consequences…. someppl an families might die for this seize….but this is no coincindent that this all is happen under the UDP an especially the minister of police…he goes on news actin like a tuffheaded person….but if bzean wud have not put up wit this from teh time of our independence…we wudnt have this problem…
HA HA HA! Strret life….. I bet flour is scarce, they already switch the thing….140 Million in this time to burn up! Wake up mon
Let’s hope the DEA will get involved before this destruction goes through and pray to God that they are not dirty DEA agents that will be involved if they do get to witness this destruction.
This is just a hoax.. Mien… people in high ranks in BDF are already disbursing the amount of packs and selling them out.. watch it. people are get rich out there.. especially those who are supposedly taking care and guarding it and the ones who are getting their hands filled in the shares. Why is it that it is ok. Either way that same drug is reaching back in the streets. This is very disappointing mien, like what kind of life are we living. So basically what i get from this is that the only persons who prosper off the money and the riches of this country are the ones who are in the system. I would like to be there when they burn the so called drugs and count each and everyone just to make sure that they are being burnt n destroyed but knowing the system ha! they done jack them share from the batch and we have even more incompetent people or dirty people in the high end of the ladder to allow such a thing..
THATS WHY OUR COUNTRY IS IN VIOLENCE AND CORRUPTION BECAUSE OR SAME HIGH OFFICIALS ARE THE ONES DOING BUSINESS BEHGIND THE NATIONS BACK AND THATS WHY BELIZE WILL NEVER PROSPER BECAUSE WE NEED TO SEEK GOD AND TRUST IN HIM THEN WE WILL BE A BETTER BELIZE.
WELL WHAT DO WE HAD TO WAIT SO LONG FOR. YOU BETTER KNOW THIS INVOLVE LARGE DRUG CARTEL PERSONS. LOOSING THEIR MISSION WAS NOT A GREAT DEAL FOR THEM. SO BETTA DESTROY IT NOW THAT WE ALL CRY WOW AFTERWARDS THEY COME AND KILL THOSE WHO ARE GUILTY OR NOT WITH THE ONES WHO ARE ALL INVOLVE IN THE MESS. CORRUPTION AGAIN. IN ALL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT. WHAT A HELL OF A LIFE. DON’T WASTE TIME DESTROYING THIS DRUG THE TIME IS NOW. JAH BLESS
hey, that what is belice and the belizeance are up too. they lie like harlow monkey, so why not have a coca in your home like you are all have a grass. you are !@#$ admit it. thats what is the rest of the worl think about you !@#$ country.
or nearly for goten go to corozal town or libertad vilage and look for the botes surname they trafiking the cocaine to mexico, as they do pay some people off, they dont get stop those fat basterd
the ugly tru……………. LEARN TO SPEAK PROPER ENGLISH before you TRY TO INSULT BELIZE!!!
Usted es un GRANDE IDIOTA………….. VERDAD!!!
Belmopan. The New Capital of Belize. Corrupt City filled with peole who don’t care for Honesty. Police OC in Bmp should be placed on surviellance. Put serious people to glue their eyes on him and his fat brother in Camalote. Check the lifestyle they live. They go on as the most respectful and easy going people. Fem bigging him up in the morning. Gosh we are in a big mess. Fonseca’s, Perdomo’s, Briceno’s and many more,,, too numerous to mention. Right Wing people will have to take action, then they will be seen as the bad ones because they will put a fight to help save the Country and the wicked ones will fight and kill the good ones. But the good ones will fight viciously and will win at the end. Lets wait and see what happens…. Peace and Love.