Tonight, much more is known about that aborted drug plane landing which happened in northern Belize on Friday morning.
First of all, the jet had over three thousand pounds of cocaine on board, Mexican newspaper reports say. That's a value well into the tens of millions of dollars.
Police foiled the landing in Belize, and then the Hawker 700 jet requested permission to land in Chetumal. After landing, eyewitness reported that they say the pilot run off with a piece of luggage and abandoned the plane.
Today, police told us how they foiled it and who else got caught up in the outlaw behavior by the narco's allies here in Belize.
ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB
"Some time around 1:30am, police were called to the San Estevan/Progresso Road in the Corozal District where upon arrival they observed a number of portable fluorescent lights lining a part of the road as well as some revolving lights on the eastern and western area of where the lights were. No one was found in the area. Sometime after 3:40am, Corozal police responding to the said information by way of Pueblo Nuevo Ferry road encountered 2 persons on motorcycles who were followed by 2 pickup that had occupants in the back and the police officers were fired upon by these persons. Police have since impounded one vehicle which was left at the ferry. And in continuing in relation to the said investigation, on Saturday 1st December sometime around 4pm, one Armando Pott, 26 years old vegetable vendor of Chunox Village accompanied by a 17 years old minor reported that sometime around 1am on Friday 30th November, whilst he was southbound, he left Chunox enroute to Belize City to sell vegetables when he was stop in this same very said area by 4 armed persons in a Dodge pickup. As a result, himself and his companion was tied up and left there. He later unloose himself some half hour later where he 2 observed those lights."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"The vendor who was tied up, is it just being in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB
"According to him, yes. He was on his way to Belize City to sell vegetables."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Do you all have any suspects, based on the vehicle, because you said a vehicle was recovered?"
ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB
"I believe 3 persons are in custody being interviewed in relation to this investigation."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Is it your belief that police responding to call in the area, thwarted the landing of a drug plane?"
Chester Williams- Deputy ComPol
"In deed the police was so effective that we were able to thwarted the landing and the plane went and land at the Chetumal Airport where the Chetumal Federales have a base and they were not effective as the police in Belize were. That's the bottom-line."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"How do you gauge their efficacy?"
Chester Williams- Deputy ComPol
"If the plane could have landed in the backyard of the Mexican Federales, then something is wrong. Despite the fact that they have all the equipment more than we do, we were more effective that they were. That's the truth."
So, as you heard, Deputy Compol Williams was boasting that Belize police had done with the Mexican Federales could not.
Of course, by luck more than skill, the jet and the cocaine are now secured on that side.
We'll keep following the case to see if and when the local suspects are charged.
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