BELIZE CITY, Mon. Nov. 8, 2021 — Last Thursday night at around 9:30, a narco plane was landed on the Southern Highway near Bladen Village, in the Toledo District. A brazen unloading operation started shortly after. The drug traffickers, seemingly emboldened by police presence on the crime scene, had in their employ almost 20 men to offload the cargo: cocaine packed in bales. Four officers from the Police Department’s Intermediate Southern Formation were deployed to the area and came under heavy gunfire, according to Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams.
“A white Toyota pickup truck was seen leaving the landing site carrying what they believed was the cargo from the plane, heading towards Punta Gorda Town. Based on that, we deployed a team of police officers and elements of the Belize Defence Force to go and mount a checkpoint on the Southern Highway going to Punta Gorda Town. That was done as well as a sweep of the highway, and I also contacted ACP Grinage and directed that he deploy himself and a team of police officers from Belize City to go and offer support on the ground to make sure that there was proper coordination of our operations on the ground. Subsequent to that, the team we had out there intercepted the white Toyota Hilux with two occupants, minus the cargo. We suspected more or less where they may have taken the cargo and again, between myself and Mr. Grinage who was on the ground, we communicated and coordinated that searches be conducted in two particular areas. Thankfully the search yield 22 bales of cocaine. And just moments ago, we came across another three bales, so that brings to a total of 25 bales. Each bale from what we have seen now, because we have not counted and weigh, contained 30 bricks.” Commissioner Williams explained during an interview on Friday following the operation.
According to Williams, the brave initial response of the four officers is what provided the momentum for teams on the ground which led to the discovery and confiscation of the 25 bales of cocaine, each holding 30 bricks (750 total), which had a total weight of 763 kilos, along with 5 assault rifles, one belonging to the Belize Police Department, and the intact White Piper Twin Engine aircraft used to transport the drugs.
Three vehicles were also found on the scene, two of which are assigned to Assistant Commissioner of Police Marco Vidal’s Operation Unit. According to reports, COMPOL Williams today confirmed that ACP Grinage, who was deployed to the crime scene Thursday night, has taken over control of the unit officially. ACP Vidal has been transferred to a next section of the department.. Despite this move, the COMPOL says that there is nothing to indicate any involvement on the part of Vidal.
Three of his subordinates have been implicated in this major drug bust and have been arrested and charged. This bust has put the spotlight on the Vidals, since one of the persons arrested is said to be the bodyguard of the Director of Public Prosecution, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, the wife of ACP Marco Vidal. Commissioner Williams said, however, that the proximity does not implicate ACP Marco Vidal, since he alerted the department about the presence of the vehicles.
“There is nothing to suggest that Mr. Vidal is involved. As a matter of fact, he was the one who raised it first to me that having seen the vehicle that was found on the scene that those persons from his office may be involved, which would suggest that he have nothing to do with what they were doing out there and he made it clear, they are not out there on his instruction or directive.” Commissioner Williams pointed out.
A number of high-caliber weapons were found inside one of the vehicles. That vehicle is said to belong to Sergeant George Ferguson. Ferguson was the most senior officer charged in connection to this bust, and was found on Friday, apparently after hiding out in the bushes near Bladen Village for some hours following the drug bust. He, along with three other police officers, Delwin Casimiro, Nelson Middleton, and Elmer Nah, all members of Vidal’s strike team, have been charged with Drug Trafficking and Landing a Plane at an unlicensed aerodrome.
Six others were nabbed near the scene of the narco plane landing, and they will be charged with the trafficking of 763 kilos of cocaine, abetment to drug trafficking and landing a plane at an unlicensed aerodrome. Those persons include two persons identified as Mennonites, one Mexican, and two Belizeans from Ranchito Village. Attorney Norman Rodriquez is representing three of the accused who were denied bail — Moises Perez, Juan Sanchez and Armando Martinez.
“We also conducted search of a Nissan Rogue which was left on the scene by the plane and inside that Nissan Rogue, we found five assault rifles. One of the rifles we have identified to be that which was stolen from the police station in Succotz during a burglary. The other four are not known to us, but we have those in custody along with 17 magazines, each containing 30 rounds, so if you’re to do 30 times 17, I think it takes you to 510 rounds of ammunition, so you see how these people were heavily armed. The vehicle — we recognize it to be a vehicle that was used by Sergeant Ferguson who is assigned to Operations office in Belmopan and so inside the vehicle, we also found some documents which bear the name of Sergeant Ferguson, so we know for a fact, based on what we have found on the scene, police officers are involved in this latest plane landing. We believe that other than Sergeant Ferguson that there may be two other police officers involved,” COMPOL Williams remarked.
Interestingly, narco planes reportedly also landed in the southwestern region of Guatemala around the same time at which the landing in Belize took place.
While a drug bust of this magnitude would typically be celebrated as a victory for the Police Department, COMPOL Williams is now focused on seeing that punitive measures are brought against the officers who brought the department into disrepute.
“While we do celebrate the fact that we were able to intercept this load, there is the disappointment to have found out that police officers are involved. That is extremely disheartening and disappointing, and I want to assure the public that I am going to leave no stone unturned to make sure that those police officers who are implicated, that they will be dealt with to the full extent of the law. We are not going to cover up or condone their behavior. They put themselves in a certain position, they will face the consequences of their actions,” COMPOL Williams said.
The Commissioner of Police has said that tomorrow more changes in the top-brass of the Police Department will be announced by Police Minister Kareem Musa.