Two senior cops under investigation after Drug Plane lands in Belize: Reports

Belize: A growing drug corruption scandal has raised serious concerns about the involvement of two senior Belizean police officers in narco activities. This comes after the officers were detained and questioned last week in connection with a drug plane that landed and was later destroyed by fire deliberately in a remote area of southern Belize last Friday.  

Police confirmed that the burnt remains of the aircraft were found on the outskirts of the village, but its suspected cargo was not located. This aircraft was the 2nd suspected drug plane to have landed in the south for this year.  

The first reported incident was on March 2 when the burnt remains of a similar aircraft was found near Belize’s border with Guatemala in the south. 

The recent incident took place last week when a suspected illicit aircraft near the Belize-Guatemala border was detected departing South American on the night of March 26. The Joint Intelligence and Operations Centre swiftly activated its response plan, deploying security forces nationwide. The aircraft entered Belizean airspace just after midnight on March 27 before disappearing into Guatemalan airspace. Around 3:00 a.m., a large fire was observed near the border. 

A Belize Defence Force (BDF) aircraft and a joint enforcement team were dispatched to the scene, where they found the burnt wreckage of what appears to be a high-performance aircraft. 

The investigation is ongoing, and three individuals were detained initially including two police officers.  

While both of the accused officers were released without charges after being held for 48 hours, police said that new evidence has emerged which intensifies the investigation. The two officers were from the Anti-Narcotics and Special Patrol Units, who were believed to have facilitated the aircraft’s landing. 

Reportedly, photographic evidence, including a handwritten list, was found on a satellite phone. It was recovered near the Graham Creek landing site and it allegedly links the officers to the drug operation. Police said that the list contains their names, phone numbers as well as $50,000 written beside each.  

According to the information, the more senior officer is also the brother of a current government ministry CEO, raising suspicions of potential family ties which has been influencing the outcome. Additionally, reports from the second officer’s home village have noted signs of unexplained newfound wealth which is further fueling public concerns of corruption.  

DEA involved in drug scandal investigation 

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is also involved in the investigation process after calls for accountability and transparency grow. Several are demanding a full and impartial investigation into the involvement of the officers and any possible misconduct within the Belizean police force. 

The investigation kicked off when the Joint Intelligence and Operations Centre detected an illegal aircraft entering Belizean airspace. Security forces were immediately deployed which led to the discovery of burnt aircraft remains on the outskirts of Belize’s Graham Creek.