7 News Belize

Drug Trafficking Charge dropped: “’Cocaine’ Wasn’t Even Flour”
posted (June 29, 2010)
It made big news on May 21st when 26 year old Thasha Herrerra a mother with a newborn was charged with drug trafficking. At the time, Police said that they searched the yard of her home at 5436 K Street and found two parcels, each of them containing 1.2 kilos of cocaine.They noted as well that they searched the interior of the house where they found photographs and documents for Alwyn Gonzalez, Herrera's common-law husband. He was caught a few days later along with another female, Tifarra Bradley.

But in this case, he was charged jointly with his common law Thasha Herrera. But what happened when the forensic lab's test on the 2.4 kilos of cocaine came back negative in May? Well, police still didn't drop the charges. But today in court over a month after the substance tested negative for cocaine or any other drug the prosecution sheepishly withdrew that charge, Speaking outside court this afternoon, Thasha Herrera's attorney Dickie Bradley said they want an apology for the indignities of police detention and the infamy that all the adverse publicity earned for his client.

Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"On the 21st day of May what was alleged to have been found was sent for testing at the national forensic laboratory and turned out not to be cocaine for which the young lady and Mr. Gonzalez was charged, and turn out not to be heroine, no kind of drugs. In fact, as we probably said already it was not even baking powder, so you can't use it, it was not flour, you can't make journey cakes. It's a serious matter then because then Ms. Herrera's name is all over the news, her photo, her name is in the newspaper, the world has changed, everybody abroad, all her friends her relatives think that somehow Ms. Herrera is involved in drugs. She is charged with drug trafficking with 2.4 kilograms of cocaine - which from between the 21 - 25 of May when the drug certificate says that the test proves negative. Negative for heroine, negative for cocaine. She has already been charge for cocainse from the time they took her to the police station. They protest it, they said test it, check it, it can't be that. Somebody leave two bag of things in a open empty yard like that, a pack of cocaine is $27,000.00 - the price having fallen a little because of the plane that came down. The drugs certificate is dated 25th of May; this is over one month after that that the lady has gone through all that stress. Those things are really unfair because liten, there is a press officer for the police department. He can say to the public 'on such a date the police arrested this young lady, we have learnt subsequently that this is not...we apologize to her and her family and we will withdraw first thing in the morning.'"

Marion Ali, Channel 5 News
"Can they still do that?"

Dickie Bradley
"Yes they can still do that but it will be making a mockery of the whole situation. It's really unfair what happened. All the indignity that she suffered, all the mental anguish, the blow to her reputation and her family's reputation that somehow she is involved in drug trafficking...that, you can't take that away from somebody."

Bradley says his client intends to sue the government of Belize. Gonzalez and Herrerra were also represented by Anthony Sylvester.

Alwyn Gonzalez still faces three counts of drug trafficking and keeping ammunition without a gun license for a separate arrest.

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