by Charles Gladden
SAN PEDRO, Ambergris Caye, Mon. Sept. 30, 2024
Blue Economy Minister and area representative of San Pedro Town, Hon. Andre Perez, who had been at the center of controversy after being accused of sexually harassing a prominent female attorney, is once again in the hot seat after suspected cocaine was found on a docked boat belonging to him.
According to reports of this discovery which spread over the weekend, on Friday, September 27, a resident of the Back-a-Town area of San Pedro Town had informed police that known drug traffickers had been frequently visiting a certain local boat yard.
When officers arrived at the location, they conducted searches of all the vessels at that location, and during a search of a boat belonging to Minister Perez, they discovered 474 grams of suspected cocaine. When police contacted Hon. Perez, he admitted ownership of the boat and mentioned that it had been docked at the location for repairs, and that he had not used it for over six months.
The owner of the boatyard confirmed Minister Perez’s statement and mentioned that he had been paying a $250 monthly docking fee.
“Based on that, we could not have tied the drugs to Minister Perez. There’s no information, not even the slightest iota of evidence to suggest that the drugs belong to him. While the boatyard is managed by a group of people, we couldn’t tie them either, because the boatyard is open. There are several ins and outs to the boatyard. So, anybody could walk into the boatyard and put what they want to put anything in any boat or on the property itself,” said Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams.
Information to Amandala suggests that the drugs were placed on the boat without the Minister’s knowledge or consent. Local reporters caught up with Minister Perez, whose only comment was that someone was trying to set him up.
ComPol Williams told reporters that they are searching for one individual who they believe planted the drugs.
“We have a basic idea of who the person [is] that may have placed it there. We are searching for that person, but he went to Corozal. We have also notified the Corozal police to be on the lookout for him. Because we had gathered information, the person may have found a good amount of cocaine, parcels of cocaine. And he might have taken some of them to Corozal for sale,” he said.
In a press release today, the United Democratic Party (UDP) said that it “condemns the actions of the Minister of Police and the Commissioner of Police regarding the discovery of 474 grams of cocaine on Minister Andre Perez’s private vessel.” The release further declared, “This incident highlights a troubling pattern of preferential treatment that undermines the rule of law in our nation. It is deeply concerning that while an ordinary Belizean would face rigorous interrogation and likely legal charges in such a situation, Minister Perez appears to receive immunity from the scrutiny and consequences that would befall any other citizen.”