After the curfew hour struck last night, all was quiet on the Southern Highway. But within half an hour, the sound of an incoming plane disrupted the peace in Bladen Village. Narcos quickly began unloading bales of cocaine, working methodically to get the drugs to their destination. And while in most of the previous cases of drug plane landings, the narcos easily eluded law enforcement, taking the drugs with them. this time, the cops turned the tables, dramatically.
Four police officers came under fire as they tried to intercept the drugs. But with teamwork from officers in Dangriga, Independence, and even Belize City, the department made a major bust of cocaine and guns. It would be case for celebration, except for that fact that some of their own were complicit in the drug trade.
Courtney Menzies travelled south to Bladen, and then back to Belmopan where the Commissioner of Police held a press conference. She has this story.
Courtney Menzies:
"Drugs, guns, and a fully intact aircraft - the events of last night after a drug plane landed on the Southern Highway were straight out of a narco movie, complete with a high powered shootout between the narcos and the police. And once the smoke cleared, two civilians were handcuffed and 20 bales of cocaine confiscated along with five assault rifles - weapons we now know are linked to the police. It's one of the biggest busts where a narco plane is involved and today, the commissioner of police told us how the officers were able to get to the right place, at the right time."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"A team of four officers from Intermediate Southern Formation were deployed to the location. Upon arrival there, they saw the plane on the ground, vehicles and persons around, which would indicate that cargo was being unloaded from the plane. The four police officers attempted to engage the traffickers and the number of persons who were involved in this unloading was around 15-20 persons and we only had four police officers. Nonetheless these officers were brave enough and attempted to engage these traffickers and they subsequently came under heavy fire."
"Moments later, 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 Defense 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."
And if you do the math, it adds up to 750 bricks, and if each brick weights about a kilo, that means the police are now in possession of 1,650 pounds of cocaine - three 2quarters of a tonne.
And along with that, they also found three vehicles - two of which are assigned to the Operations Unit - headed by ACP Marco Vidal. And once those vehicles were identified by Vidal, the alarming truth that some of Belize's finest were complicit in this illegal plane landing.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"And we also conducted search of a Nissan Rouge which was left on the scene by the plane and inside that Nissan Rouge, 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 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 maybe two other police officers involved. We currently have those two police officers in custody and we are still seeking Sergeant Ferguson."
This revelation made this mission bittersweet for the ComPol - one on hand commending the officers who made it a success and on the other realizing that corruption runs deep in the police department.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"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."
Right after the press conference - the Commissioner learned that Sergeant Ferguson had been caught - in the same area where the plane was found - reportedly with scratches consistent with time spent in the bush. Of the two officers caught, one is the DPP's bodyguard, and the other, a corporal works in her husband Marco Vidal's operations office.
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