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While discussing the death of their son in police hands, Hilberto's parents shared their account of a police encounter in which his father went to make a compliant and ended up detained, and that his mother had to pay a bribe to get him released. Here's that accusation in their own words:

Santorino Sotz
"The other day I was taking care of hostel, because the guy went to the States. So now, I left my son in the place to sleep. Someone went into the back and stole a box. So now I went and report to the police that somebody went into the place and stole a box. You know what they did, instead of they investigate and go check where it is, they locked me up. They locked me up and I am taking care of the place. They locked me up for two days and my wife had to pay $75 to pay the police for them to release me."

Jules Vasquez
"Is that for true?"

Carmelina Sotz
"That $75 was not the only money they asked me for, they ask me for $150 to release my husband. But then I told them that I don't have any money. 'Oh yes Miss Ketchi (that how they called me), you make money with that hostel, so you can give us money.' That's what they told me."

Jules Vasquez
"Ma'am that's unbelievable. I'm not saying you're not telling the truth, but that sounds crazy. Is that for real?"

Carmelina Sotz
"It's true. I am not lying. I told them that I do not have the money that they were asking for, all I have is $75. They say okay then and asked me when I will give them the rest. Then I promise them the next day, but I only want them to take him out, because he is a person who get too angry and I don't want him to get sick and that's why I tried my best to take him out. I only give them the $75 and then I promise them to give them the rest the next day. The next day I never gave them the money."

In that interview, the Sotz family also accused officers attached to the Caye Caulker Sub-Formation of entrapment where they would force known drug dealers to offer the sale of drugs to tourists. That could easily be explained a sting operation meant to catch tourists in the act of breaking the country's drug laws. But, person we've spoken to on the island say that these officers then approach these tourists who've bought the drugs and extort them for money in exchange for no criminal prosecution. Such a case was recently reported where Police Constable Daniel Requena allegedly caught a tourist with a small amount of marijuana and told her she would go to jail unless she paid him eight hundred dollars. He was arrested and charged for extortion.