Four inmates of Belize Central Prison, Hattieville, were charged with drug trafficking in connection with the discovery of 244 grams of cannabis that were allegedly in their cell on Tuesday, March 25.
They are Teajdron Bennett, 27, Joseph Kee, 29, Mark Seawell, 38, and Nicholas Antonio Guevara, 49.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them today in the #1 Magistrate’s court. Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie adjourned their case until May 21.
The incident occurred around 10:55 a.m. on Tuesday, March 25. Rose Kelly, 55, Chief of Security at the prison, reported to the police that she was conducting a routine search in the remand section of the prison, and when she reached cell #1 in Tango 6, she found two black plastic bags that seemed to contain cannabis.
One of the bags had 117 grams of cannabis and the other had 127 grams. Kelly said that at the time of the search, all the defendants were in the cell. As a result, they were all charged.
Bennett and Kee, charged with double murder in connection with fatal shooting of the Brannon brothers, Kevin and Philip, are to go on trial in the April session of the Supreme Court. In addition, they are to go on trial in the Magistrate’s Court for a charge of escape in relation to an incident involving the former Chief of Security of the prison, Oscar Puga.
Seawell is on remand awaiting an extradition hearing scheduled to take place in the #1 Magistrate’s Court, for which no date has been set as yet.
Guevara, a Salvadoran, is serving life imprisonment on a conviction of murder.