Situation still grim for detainees in Chetumal

This morning the airwaves were buzzing with rumours that the three Belizeans and American detained in Chetumal have been sentenced to thirty years in prison. Today News Five’s Jose Sanchez traveled north and found out that while there was no truth to the rumour, things are still not looking good for the three Cobra security guards and their boss. …But the situation is also taking a toll on their families.

Jose Sanchez
“It has been five days since the Belizean security guards and their employer of Las Vegas Casino have been arrested by Mexican authorities at the border. They are being held in solitary confinement in this prison behind me.”

Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Their journey started about one -thirty Sunday morning, when a misunderstanding occurred with two Mexican patrons, Luis Navarro and his uncle Edwin Navarro Meneses, who were escorted out of the casino.

Jamili Miller, Wife of Martin Miller
“They were all working that night and the Mexican, they were there and they start trouble so they take them out of the casino. And then after a little while he went and look for some other guys and they went back and start shoot up and then afterwards they went along with Mr. Hardie in the vehicle and they went over. But at this point they didn’t notice that they had already reached the border.”

While the Belizeans were detained at the customs check point, the Mexicans crashed a bit further up the street into the lamp post where they overturned. Navarro was hospitalized with gunshots to the head, the arm, chest, and leg. Belize’s new honorary consul to Quintana Roo, Mexico, Jorge Valencia, spoke to the men on Thursday, and related their tale.

Jorge Valencia, Honorary Consul to Quintana Roo
“The only wrongful thing that they did was that they went across with weapons, which under the Mexican constitution, that is prohibited. Nobody can have, the type of weapons they had especially, which is exclusively for the forces. Apart from that, no other citizen is allowed to bear a gun in Mexico. So that’s one of the charges that they have against them right now.”

Jose Sanchez
“Mr. Valencia there is some confusion in the public as to whether our Belizean guys just went blazing guns past the Mexican checkpoint. Some of the family members are saying they actually went to the border and checked in the weapons and that’s where they were held. Please clarify that for us.”

Jorge Valencia
“As far as we know and we were told on the interview we had with them on Wednesday was that yes, they crossed the border with guns but their intention was just to advise the Mexican authorities across the border, which as you cross customs there’s a police office there where they wanted to go to advise of the incident that happened here. But under the Mexican law, like I said again, it is against the law to go into Mexico with a gun. From what we were explained, that their intention was not to get into the border with guns. When they arrived at customs they wanted to declare it with customs but apparently there was some confusion because of the language barrier between speaking English and Spanish because over there they didn’t understand and they asked them to pull over on one side. That was what we were told and from there they were arrested. So all of this will have to be looked into now that if they do go to court all of this will have to be brought out and see why this procedure was done.”

Jose Sanchez
“So they wanted to leave the guns right there?”

Jorge Valencia
“From what we were told by Mr. Hardie, he wanted to declare the guns so that he could go to the police station and advise them of the incident that had happened here. We don’t know why or how the army got involved in it. This is one thing we have to look into as soon as we get a copy of the charges that were brought to them and the declarations that each person made.”

Valencia has a lot to deal with since he has only been appointed to his post three days ago. But in the meantime the families of the men are worried about the safety of her husbands behind Mexican prison walls.

Emira Jones, Wife of Curlin Thompson
“My husband seh dehn di treat dehn very bad back deh. Dehn have to mind dehn back, dehn have to … like dehn threaten dehn everyday and di moment dehn tek dehn outta di cell, probably dehn might get one ah dehn. He noh know if everyday he noh sleep. He noh sleep ih seh cause he can’t trust fi go sleep cause probably dehn got wah personal guard di mind them but dah personal guard dah Mexican. Who knows if he noh wah tek dehn out one ah dehn nights mek dehn attack dehn and he noh know what wah happen. He se he noh sleep because he can’t sleep een deh because he di punish and he noh know if tomorrow—ih noh sleep—but tomorrow if ih wah deh alright. And dat da fi we concern. Every day we go right deh and try si dehn. Some days we si dehn, some days no; like today we can’t see them. So we noh go and den like how dehn suppose di verdict wah come out, we noh go fi like mek di Mexican dehn get more angry. So we noh gone todeh because ah dat. So we still have to di worry bout dehn because we noh know weh wah happen to dehn.”

Jose Sanchez
“I understand everything is being handled through Las Vegas Casino but they have not gone to the police station to make a report and inspector Moreira says that when he asked them for information they also refused to give them information so there are no charges against the Mexican who shot at them. How do you feel about this?”

Emira Jones
“Well, I asked myself and I ask many times how dehn noh charge di Mexicans if dehn come way da di casino come damage den dehn just respond because dehn mi have to do it fi save dehn life. Dehn mi have to do it, dah noh because dehn mi want because dehn no usually use, although den back dehn firearm but dehn noh use it.”

The casino is in charge of coordinating legal advice and they have withheld information from the police department as well as the media.

Jose Sanchez
“You are aware that there is no report on our side of the border that any Mexican shot at any Belizean, there is no report at the police station, there are no charges. As far as we are concerned he could walk over this border a free man. Do you think he should be charged? Do you think the casino should say our employees were shot at by this man Meneses?”

Jamili Miller
“Well, they shot after him because he went there too and gave the trouble. He was the one that started this whole thing.”

Jose Sanchez
“But no report has been made as yet.”

Jamili Miller
“No report to my concern, I don’t hear nothing about that. I would also ask fi mek one from di casino go and make that report.”

The wives are also very concerned about their own livelihood as the men are the primary breadwinners.

Emira Jones
“I got my children and I got dis bwai, he is in third form, the next one he gwein inna first form. All di money I have accommodated for their studies, they are going there and there is no one to help us.”

Jamili Miller
“I would like them to bring back my husband because this is very hard for me. If they keep him there, he is the only person I can depend pan. I noh have nobody else because from this happen I noh have no other family with me. I am with them and my rest of my cousins because Curlin Thompson is also my cousin and with fi he family and me, they don’t abandon me. My sister and none ah dehn come around. So the only thing I ask is that I want my husband back because I dah noh wah person dat work. He look after us and dis lee bwai he miss him already; my little son. So I want the government to try do something to this thing because really if he stay there I don’t I know what I will do.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

Reports coming out of Chetumal are that the illegal firearm charges have been dropped, which is good news. But don’t rejoice as yet because the men are now facing charges for the attempted murder of thirty-five year old Edwin Jesús Navarro Meneses.