But, let's not get ahead of ourselves: the news tonight is that the government found a pilot who could fly the jet, thus getting rid of one major headache and embarrassment - an empty drug plane on the side of the road.
But, the issue remains, police still have no idea who landed the jet in Belize, and what they did with the drugs.
Today, at the bi-weekly police press conference, the head of the National Criminal Investigations Branch told us what they have so far on the illegal landing:
ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB
"On Tuesday the 24th April shortly before 5 AM police received information of an aircraft that had landed on the San Estevan Progresso dirt road. As a result police proceeded to the area where upon arrival they observed a white in color twin engine Hawker Siddeley HS125 Series 700 A aircraft on the ground. The area was secured and later processed. Upon inspection of the aircraft it was found that only the pilot seat was a fix inside the aircraft, the remainder of the seats were removed and there were no other content. The police conducted extensive searches in the area and no other item related to the aircraft was found."
Daniel Ortiz
"Given the nature of this particular discovery and especially because the seats and other aspects of the cabin were removed. Do police suspect that this plane was used to off load some illicit cargo, possibly drugs?"
ACP Joseph Myvette
"Well, samples were taken from within the cabin of the aircraft which we determined more or less if the cargo was related to drugs or so."
It's the 7th drug plane that's landed since November of last year, and in every case, the cops were too late to catch anyone or do anything. So, today, we challenged the cops on their detection capabilities:
Daniel Ortiz
"Now speaking generally to the 7 illicit landings that have taken place between this week and November 2017. Is it a concern for police that you have these spikes of illegal landings and is it something that the police are looking at to try to get some sort of technology to detect these aircrafts because obviously the persons operating them are trying to avoid as best as they can and they have been successful so far."
ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB
"Well, we are working in conjunction with our regional counterparts and the police have followed all information in regards suspected aircraft sightings as well as landings in Belize and this is an ongoing series of investigations in relation to these aircrafts."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir do you acknowledge though that working with the regional partners can only get the Belize Police so far when the aircraft enters Belize airspace? You all are basically depending on intelligence and sightings when these persons are moving with urgency and many times police arrive long after these people have done what they've done and departed the scene."
ACP Joseph Myvette
"Well, hence the reason I am saying that we will continue to work towards improving the situation across these illegal landings."
Daniel Ortiz
"Is that improvement any consideration being made to identify some sort of partnering with international community to assist with technologies required to detect aircraft? More advance technology than Belize currently has."
ACP Joseph Myvette
"I will not be able to speak to that level of cooperation. However I can tell you amongst law enforcement agencies they are cooperation regionally."
The Ministry of National Security has explained in a press release that police response is based on initial tracking information and intelligence provided by regional partners. These types of aircraft actively avoid radar detection, and so the cops must rely on actual sightings, and information locally or regionally to try and anticipate the landing areas.
Their statement says, quote, "Although law enforcement authorities try to cover multiple possible landing sites, the pilots also have several landing options and are therefore able to elude authorities." End quote.
Email
Print