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At the top of the news, we showed you the briefing that National Security Minister Michael Peyrefitte hosted to discuss the investigation into the helicopter crash which resulted in the death of the BDF soldiers, Adran Ramirez, Radford Baizar, Yassir Mendez, and Reinaldo Choco. 

They were part of the law enforcement team which went to intercept that narco-jet that was carrying approximately 100 million dollars’ worth of cocaine. This afternoon, the police department concluded the mission those men gave their lives to be a part of by burning just over 5,072 pounds of cocaine. 

The police department invited the press to witness the burning of all those drugs, and 7News was there. Daniel Ortiz reports:

When the police convoy arrived this evening with those 69 bails of cocaine, there was already a bonfire going.

Forensics Experts, the investigating officer, and even a Senior Magistrate were on site to account for the entire quantity. 

Each of the packets was then carefully offloaded from the transporting truck, and they were laid out for easy counting. They all had the same branding as if the underworld supplier and its intended customers would easily recognize the product.

The Forensics experts then randomly chose packets to apply the cocaine test for confirmation. As soon as the officers sliced open the plastic wrapping, a pungent smell of chemicals began wafting out.

The authorities anticipated that they would have to be in this location for HOURS, after all, they were attempting to destroy just over 2.3 thousand kilos, the second-largest drug bust in Belize’s history:

Daniel Ortiz, Reporting

When the police convoy arrived this evening with those 69 parcels of cocaine, there was already a bonfire going.Forensics Experts, the investigating officer, and even a Senior Magistrate were on site to account for the entire quantity. 

Each of the packets was then carefully offloaded from the transporting truck, and they were laid out for easy counting. They all had the same branding as if the underworld supplier and its intended customers would easily recognize the product.

The Forensics experts then randomly chose packets to apply the cocaine test for confirmation. As soon as the officers sliced open the plastic wrapping, a pungent smell of chemicals began wafting out.

The authorities anticipated that they would have to be in this location for HOURS, after all, they were attempting to destroy just over 2.3k kilos, the second-largest drug bust in Belize’s history so far. 

ACP Marco Vidal, OC, Operations

“We have applied to the court for an order for destruction. That was granted this morning and today we have traveled all the way here from a safe location to this location of destruction where we will now engage in the destruction of the drugs with the clerk of court, a justice of the peace. Scenes of crime technicians, the forensic and the prosecutor and the investigator so that is what you’ll witness today the destruction.â€￾

Daniel Ortiz: 

“Explain to us what the process entails, sirâ€￾

ACP Marco Vidal, OC, Operations

Ok as I said once we discover drugs or cease a large quantity of drugs the next process then is to go through the process of weighing each parcel and once that is done and the forensic is satisfied that it has been done we then apply to the court for an order to destroy the drugs. So as I said that has been done today and now we have moved the drugs from its location to this location of destruction 01:39 Â Ã‚ 

ACP Marco Vidal, OC, Operations

"We have 69 parcels of cocaine and totaling 2,300.94 kilograms that's what will be destroyed today.â€￾

Although local law enforcement has won this battle in the war against transnational narcotics smuggling, they are cognizant of the fact that for them, it is an unending fight.

ACP Marco Vidal - OC, Operations

“As you know the movement of drugs through our country as well as in Central America is becoming a frequent phenomenon and our objective is to cease these drugs and arrest people and take them before the court so we foresee that other operations like these will be done. Other operations conducted by the cartels of course and our mission is to ensure that we capture them before they can depart our country."

Reporter 

“Sir is it concerning to you as an officer that the best efforts that you guys have made the narcotics traffickers seem to always be one step ahead.?â€￾

ACP Marco Vidal - OC, Operations

“Drug trafficking is not something that occurred last week or two weeks ago. This is a phenomenon that exists from the 1980’s or even older than that so each law enforcement in every country including the United States we have this challenge of trying to ensure that we try to move ahead of these people but of course their resources are larger than anyone country of course so they will always be ahead in many ways because they can influence people. They can gather resources. You know, they can do far more than what we can do as an organisation. But our efforts will continue; we are not in any way distracted or phased. We will ensure that we can capture what it is that passes through our country. Of course, it’s not everything that we can capture but we will make every effort to capture those and ensure that we bring them to justice. 04:30

Police asked us not to disclose the location of the drug burning. 

As you just heard, the final tally of this drug bust was determined to be 2,300.94 kilograms, or 5,072.7 pounds.  So It comes close in size to the biggest drug bust in Belize’s history, which happened back in 2005. In that operation 15 years ago, law enforcement intercepted 2,376 kilos, or 5,238 pounds.