Oops! Cops raid home of P.U.P.’s Dr. Greg Garcia
Gregorio Garcia
Up north, the house of prominent Corozal doctor and former P.U.P. area representative, Gregorio Garcia and his wife Narda, came under attack early this morning. At around two-thirty a.m. the caretaker was alerted by the barking dogs that policemen from the Anti-Drug Unit who were outside the yard. The officers reportedly barged into Garcia’s property located at Finca Solana on Consejo Road and conducted a search that lasted almost an hour. They couldn’t provide a warrant and at the end of the search, they admitted that they had the wrong house. Dr. Garcia told News Five via phone today that the officers were overly aggressive in their approach.
Via Phone: Dr. Gregorio Garcia, House Raided by Anti-Drug Unit
“My caretaker heard them and came out with the shotgun towards the gate and then there were these guys dressed in fatigues. They told him to drop the shotgun, which he did. Then they told him to open the gate but he told them he cannot open that particular gate because it is locked and only I have the key. He invited them to go to the other gate; they refused and they jumped the fence. Then he brought them to the balcony of the bedroom. There, they said they wanted to speak with me so I opened the door on the balcony and they jumped into the balcony and pushed themselves into the room. I was asking them give me a chance because my wife is in underwear. They said they don’t care. My wife asked them do you have a warrant and they said we’ll deal with that later. So they pushed and entered and I was forced to give them a tour around the inside of the house. It seems that they didn’t find what they were looking for and immediately the attitude of the officer in charge changed somewhat, became even apologetic. At that time someone called him by phone and they seemed to be insisting that he continue the search. So we went to the caretakers quarters, which they also searched and they didn’t find anything and they called again. It seems like they still wanted him to continue checking so he checked the vehicles because there was nothing left to check. After the search lasted some forty minutes, he apologized and said he think he got the wrong house. He looked a bit embarrassed actually. He never said what he was looking for. He identified himself as members of the Anti-Drug Unit. Three of them actually jumped the fence and the rest, which I don’t know the number, stayed outside on the street in the vehicle and watched.”
Delahnie Bain
“And did they ever present the warrant that your wife had asked for?”
Via Phone: Dr. Gregorio Garcia
“No, they never presented any warrant or anything at all. This is why I decided to go public. I think we all can learn from this. We all know that the police need to do their operations but I do believe that they need to show a warrant or at least tell me what they’re looking for. And of course, no matter how much or how grave the situation might be, I do believe a little courtesy like allowing a woman to dress before they come into the house is in order.”
Unlike most police raids, Garcia was fortunate not to have his house turned upside down during the search.
In a separate raid, this time by the GSU, Albert ‘Cat’ Talbert was charged with the offence of “unlawful purchase of military store” following the discovery of a digital camouflage Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) found inside his home on Maskall Street. On Thursday October twentieth when police searched Talbert’s home, he told police that he had bought the BDU from a B.D.F. soldier. On the matter of the soldier who sold the uniform, he will be dealt with internally by the B.D.F. Adjutant.
I hate drugs but I love liberty, and I think the idea of warrantless searches for anything, except in exigent circumstances, violates English law back to the Magna Carta.
I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said something like, “Those who give up liberty to gain security will lose both.”
If it could happen to him….just imagine me and you. Dr. Garcia needs to sue the whole police force.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS and it is an EXAMPLE OF POLICE ABUSE OF POWER.
WHERE WAS THE WARRANT??? What does MINISTER SINGH have to say about this and how will he make it up to Dr. Garcia?????
Sue them take this gov. And useless pm to court and sue them for a couple of millions for aggravation mental anguish unlawful entry and many more we need to stop this stupidity sue sue.
The thing is – they do NOT need a warrant to search your home at any time, day or night – providing they say that they are searching for drugs or illegal firearms. This is the reality of life in Belize. This situation can occur at anytime (although the GSU does seem to love the 2:30 hour) to anyone.
Now also consider that home invasions do occur often in Belize, so when it happens, you will have, say 2 seconds or so, to decide whether it is a “legitimate” search or just a bunch of masked thugs who want to rape, pillage, or kill.
That care taker don’t like his life. He is lucky that the cops didn’t just blast his head off. and if they did they would have been justified because they would say the care taker was advancing at them with a shot gun and that they only had a split second to decide whether they should see if he will drop it when asked or whether they just blow his head off and go home to their family as opposed to staring death in the face and hoping that they live to see another day.
the Ninth is not fully passed yet and this is the result, political intimidation!!!Belize is the next HAITI, or Libya..
MAYBE IT WAS THE WRONG THE ADDY.. MOST OF THESE STUPID POLICEMEN CANT EVEN RECONGNIZE THERE NAMES WORSE AN ADDY WITH ALPHA NUMERIC.
I AM NOT BLASTING THE POLICE BUT YES WE NEED THEM AND TO ACT PROFESSIONALLY AND MAKE SURE THEY GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE NOT THE GOOD LAW ABIDING CITIZENS OF BELIZE.
I GUESS THE DEPT LACK INTELLIGENCE AND ITS A BIG BREAK DOWN AND WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND SOLVE CRIME THIS WAY…..SO I AM SURE AT THIS RATE OUR COUNTRY HAVE NOT ANY BETTER TO GET BUT WORSE…..
LEADER WITH THEIR OWN AGENDAS AND THE POOR PEOPLE HAVE NOT OPTIONS BUT THEIR OWN TO SURVIVE….
They were probably sent by Doug Singh himself. Remember belizeans dont have any rights anymore so prepare for anything… thanks to all d stupid ppl that have this government in power.
another shooting over this weekend in the Belama Area, one block away from the POLICE STATION that this UDP government and DOUG SINGH close down!!!!why? Why?
PLAIN OUTRIGHT WRONG… WHERE ARE THE WARRANTS…. POLICE KNOWS THE HOUSE OF MR. GARCIA, HE IS NO STRANGER IN COROZAL… I SEARCH AT TWO IN THE MORNING SHOULD BE BETTER COORDINATED WITH ALL WARRANTS EVEN IF NOT NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT IF YOU FIND SOMETHING YOU GET A CONVICTION. THIS DAH FOOL WHAT KIND OF RENTACOPS DO WE HAVE HERE. SUE ALL A THEM ALLONG WITH POLICE MINISTER. THIS IS FOOLISHNESS.
They search the wrong house; The bad guys always seem to get away; They miss the bad guy when the shoot or they hit the good guy when they shoot; they search without warrant; they sell their uniforms to the bad guys…
Who is in charge anyway? Does he or she have a brain? Hey! Here is a hint maybe they need some training and dicipline!
Who says its the wrong house?? It could dame well be the correct house!! So because he is a doctor he can do no evil.. SMF is a pastor can do such nasty things to young chidren. What makes you think a doctor can’t sell drugs. After all he is in the industry (drug) kinda … just saying!!
For all you people that believe on the ninth amendment. This is but the tip of the iceberg, to what will happen to belizeans. Say no to the ninth amendment, do it for the most you love, your wife,,..your children i dont know, but do it. no to the ninth.
Belize has turned into A POLICE STATE….and the police have ABSOLUTE POWER!!!
ANYONE TRYING TO INVADE YOUR HOME IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING….
SHOOT FIRST ASK QUESTIONS LATER.
THE POLICE SHOULD ALWAYS NEED A WARRANT…or WE THE PEOPLE have no rights!!!
Sad news indeed. GOB and the Minister of Police should be sued. People are under pressure to live and survive and the Police are not helping good citizens to keep it straight and assist them at all times.
It s obvious hmf is not from Corozal otherwise he would know who Dr. Garcia is in this community. Please do not comment if you have nothing constructive to say. Ask anyone in Corozal and they will tell you who Dr. Garcia is and if there is any reason to believe that these crazy so called policemen and their bosses have any reason to go harass this good doctor.
get ready to take our lick….some of the stupid belizeans signed off their rights to take national issues such as “public safety” to the court. so mr policeman can come and broke up ur house and humiliate ur family and thats it. the 9nth amendment u wanted…..i wish that only the ones that had agreed to it “PAY BIG TIME”
TEK UR LICK NOW
hmf, since they apologized and looked embarrassed that blows your argument out the water a long time ago. if it was the correct house, they would have thorn it apart and find what they wanted. Infact the FIU would have been there to seize their equipment as well and court case would have followed. This is just another case of hooligans running the gov and police deparment, with the mentality that they rule and not serve…time is clicking and running out on this circus!
I agree on this matter that the GOB needs to be sued. The police department are so bully that not even a public apology has been made to Dr. Garcia. Mr Prime Minister, please wake-up to this non-senses happening.