Million dollar cocaine drop, but devil in untold details

As the US Southern Command visited the Coastguard Headquarters on Wednesday, a bail of cocaine weighing over a hundred pounds was retrieved from the Turneffe Atoll. It was a major find that is valued at one point eight million dollars. The find coincided with the transfer of sophisticated equipment to the Belize Coast Guard and B.D.F. in the fight against transnational crime. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

On Wednesday, tourists spotted a bale of cocaine while on a fishing trip.  After the guides reeled in the load, it was placed in a secure location. The tourists then informed the authorities and the Belize Coastguard quickly responded and took the bale to the headquarters which was preparing for today’s visit of General Douglas Fraser. The Commander of the U.S. Southern Command brought more vessels specifically to combat drug trafficking such as the ones that yielded thirty-five bricks valued at one point eight million dollars.

Douglas Fraser

General Douglas Fraser, Commander of U.S. Southern Command

“As the United States Southern Command and the United States International Organizations have conducted operation that focused in the maritime environments of the Caribbean and the Pacific, we have reduced the flow of drug trafficking in both those maritime environments. As we have worked together over the last six months, we have seen an increase in the amount of drug traffic impacted by over fifty percent; we have seen a reduction in the amount of maritime traffic coming into Central America as well as the amount of air traffic. And that is directly because we all work together and we coordinate together and it is in working together that we can achieve those types of results.”

But are we equipped for the onslaught of drug runners, and the violence that they bring to Belize?

Jose Sanchez

“A lot of drug transactions occur either by planes landing in the northern villages of the country or in areas such as the Turneffe Atoll. Is there a strategic plan to deal with wet drops or with these planes landing in the north?”

Lt. Col. George Lovell (Ret’d), C.E.O., Ministry of National Security

George Lovell

“Yes, it is all a part of the restructuring of the Coast Guard and their strategic plan and I wouldn’t want to talk to it because I would just give out a whole lot of information that would cause our planning processes to be in vain. So I don’t want to get into any details, but yes that’s a part of our plan to look at it.”

Jose Sanchez

“Would there be more boats on the sea right now. Last week there was a bus with drugs in Orange Walk at the Toll Bridge with the package saying PZ and the same thing again yesterday in the Turneffe Atoll. These are small parcels, but clearly everyone assumes there would be more.”

Lt. Col. George Lovell (Ret’d)

“We will have to look at how we deploy our assets in a more effective manner because our resources are limited. We have to, as much as practicable, live within our resources. So our challenge exists now that we now need to go back to the drawing board, revisit our plans that we have and see how best we can maximize our efforts with the resources we currently have at our disposal.”

Jose Sanchez

“But currently, would there be more patrols since there are clearly people who will be out there right now hoping to find more?”

Lt. Col. George Lovell (Ret’d)

“More patrols does not necessarily means you will be more effective. We need to looka t the current way we are operating and see how best we can maximize our efforts. I wouldn’t want to say, making a commitment to you, to say yes we are going to increase the patrols because that may not necessarily be the answer.”

General Douglas Fraser

“From the United States Southern Command standpoint, I look forward to continuing those operations and that cooperation.”

The war on drugs affects every country on the shipment route and continued support is necessary to reduce the planes and wet drops of cocaine.  Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

There are three press officers with the Ministry of National Security. Press Officer number one did not respond to calls, voice mails or text messages. Press officer number two who was present at today’s ceremony referred us to press officer number one.  And press officer number three has hardly been seen since his appointment. Late this evening Press Officer number one issued a release saying that, “The bale was found to contain thirty five parcels; of that twenty one were wrapped in red tape with the markings “PZ” on them, ten were wrapped in brown tape without any markings and four were wrapped in yellow tape without any markings. Each parcel was weighed individually and to a total weight of forty-seven thousand, four hundred and eighty point five grams or one hundred and four pounds.”