BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Apr. 27, 2023
The outrageous, scary, incredible weed-gummies student-intoxication news broke on Tuesday, April 25. By the time Commissioner of Police Chester Williams finally spoke on the matter in an interview today, Thursday, April 27, several layers had been peeled back to the story which seemingly gave the Belize Police Department another huge black eye. Not only had authorities confirmed that a civilian exhibit keeper at the Department’s National Exhibit Room in Belize City had simply thrown out the gummies in the garbage, but it was also revealed that the marijuana-laced candy had arrived at Customs in the name of an interdicted police officer.
When the ComPol addressed the media, he first offered details of the chain of command for the product. They came into the country in January 2023 in a barrel. When Customs officials called to notify police, members of the Anti-Narcotics Unit responded and retrieved samples that were then sent for testing at the National Forensic Science Service (NFSS). Williams said, “We did not know then what those gummies were. So, for us to have been sure, it was sent to the lab for testing.” He says that about three weeks ago, the boxes of the product were taken for safekeeping, pending the results requested from the lab. The ComPol was briefed that sometime last week, the exhibit keeper “decided to dispose of these gummies by way of putting them in a garbage trailer that is kept inside the Queen Street Police Station compound. Thereafter, the yardman at Queen Street took the trailer to the dumpsite at Mile 3 on the Philip Goldson Highway and disposed of those gummies; but the yardman also dug into the boxes, and, he too, took some of those gummies – as well as other persons who were at the dumpsite at that particular moment. The gummies were then brought back into the city by different persons and were later sold.” The reason reportedly provided by the exhibit keeper for deciding to discard the tainted treats was that they were giving off a scent in the exhibit room.
According to the Commissioner, up to Wednesday, April 26, they had not yet received the results from the NFSS. He noted that only after midday today did the Director for the NFSS indicate that the tests were concluded, and he confirmed that the gummies contained cannabis. The ComPol then corroborated that the product arrived at Customs in the name of Akeem Gamboa, a police officer whom he says has been on interdiction for over two years following a fight at the Dangriga Police Station. The ComPol then added that Gamboa “was tried in a tribunal and was convicted of that fight in the Police Station in Dangriga. He was also tried in the Magistrate Court and was also convicted for that fight. And so, today, he was dismissed from the Police Department. So, he is no longer a police officer as of today.”
The ComPol said they checked Customs today and, still, no one had claimed the barrel; but, since the news report went out Wednesday night that the barrel was in Gamboa’s name, the ComPol says they are no longer able to follow through with their intention of conducting a sting operation. Prodded further on why no one had called Gamboa before Wednesday, the Commissioner reiterated that they were awaiting the lab results after which they would have conducted the sting and called the person to go for the barrel. The top cop also commented, “You and I would know that to import something from the States in a person’s name, it would require more than just your name on that item for you to be prosecuted … So we were hoping that perhaps someone, maybe Akeem or someone on his behalf, would have gone to Customs and claimed the barrel and the other content, because they had not known that Customs had received it. Once that would have been done, then we would have created the nexus between the person who comes and claims and the barrel.” Williams said that on Wednesday they sought to find Gamboa to interview him. He did agree that there is a possibility that someone could have tipped off the recipient that the items had been discovered.
Some have taken the view that authorities are trying to place all the blame on the civilian exhibit keeper who discarded the items. The ComPol today pushed back on the notion that others within the Police Department are to blame. He declared, “Clearly, all indications are saying that a person, on his own accord, did something without following the procedure that is in place.” He explained that the employee should have followed protocols and contacted his commander about the proper disposal of the items. Ultimately, he avowed, the commander would have then sought permission from the ComPol to do so. Williams said he would then have sent a team from Belmopan to inspect the items. He reiterated that the exhibit keeper is not an amateur and knows the process. Possible charges being explored against him are perverting the course of justice or causing harm by negligence. However, for the former, intent would have to be proven. But, whatever the case, Williams declared, “He knows the process, and that is what angers me. He knows! And when you know the process, and you don’t follow the process, and things like this happen, then you have to be held accountable.”