7 News Belize

Cops Accused Of Drug Trafficking Denied Bail
posted (March 17, 2011)
And while the Mayans were an unusual presence in court, most passersby didn't even see them - and that's because multiple units of heavily armed special police teams covered the area. They were there because of some VIP's - very important prisoners. Jules Vasquez found out more:…

Jules Vasquez Reporting
Heavily armed police personnel from the special operations and the Belize Special Assignment Group took up a strong presence in front of the magistrate's court today.

They were there to secure the area because Sergeant Jacinto Roches, Sergeant Lawrence Humes, Customs boatman Harold Usher, Corporal Nelson Middleton and Corporal Renell Grant - the policemen accused of being facilitating the landing of a drug plane that was found on the Southern Highway in November were in court.

The five have been on remand since then and today their attorney applied for bail:

Richard Bradley, Attorney for Accused Police
"We are saying to the Chief magistrate that in fact the law is that when the 90 days has expired, then the Chief magistrate or any magistrate looking at the matter of a person's liberty will look at new factors. We are saying 'a person's freedom, their liberty is sacrosanct that when you come to the court as a person who is remanded, you have a right to expect that you will be granted your freedom. That matter was argued. The Chief Magistrate is saying - she is not in possession of any hard decision coming out of the Supreme Court as to what grounds they used to keep the persons in prison for the 90 days. But in her view the fact that the DPP has sent information that she has all the statements and has the disclosure on her desk this very morning and will make it available and that she can have a preliminary inquiry in this matter for the May sessions. The Chief Magistrate was of the view that she will set a date for a preliminary inquiry which has been set and that until then the issue of liberty can then be pursued."

The magistrate has ordered that disclosure should be no later than 24th. of this month and a preliminary inquiry can be held as early as the 11th. of April which Bradley says lines the case up for possible hearing in the May session of the Supreme Court.

Notably, the media was not allowed into the courtroom for the today's hearing.

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