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Acting Police Commissioner Chester Williams discussed the case at length, today including the suspension, and disciplinary charges that Police Constables Peter Graham and John Ordonez are facing because of this latest illegal landing:

Chester Williams, Acting ComPol
"We received information that a plane was on the ground at Plett's Farm in the Barranco area. That is about 3 miles away from Barranco and we quickly deployed elements of the anti-narcotic unit as well as BSAg to the location where the plane was found. It is a single engine plane, similar to the one that was found in the Blue Creek area couple months ago."

"Upon inspection of the plane, we found out that it had no content. A vehicle was seen not too far from the area where the plane was found and that vehicle was stopped and inside the vehicle was a police officer and a civilian. Inspection of that vehicle revealed one blue fifteen-gallon which contained fuel and a seat; the seat was observed to be of similar type and material as that of the plane. The two individuals were taken into custody and police conducted further investigation which led to the detention of two other police officers. All of whom are posted in the Toledo District along with other civilians. They were kept in custody and interviewed; however, up to yesterday when they were released, we had not obtained sufficient evidence to levy charges on either of the detainees. Today, we suspended from duty PC Peter Graham and PC John Ordonez pending the outcome of the investigation. I have put together an investigating team comprising of major crimes, anti-narcotics unit, professional standards branch and special branch, who will be tasked to vigorously pursue the investigation. And when that investigation is over, then we will see who will be charged if any. However, the police officers who are being suspended will face disciplinary charges between now and Monday; after they have been charged disciplinarily, then they will go on interdiction."

We also asked the Acting Commissioner about the fact that once again, they must investigate their fellow lawmen to determine whether or not they were part of a drug smuggling operation on Belizean soil. Here's how that conversation went:

Reporter
"We understand that there is some difficulty bringing criminal charges given that having fuel suspected to be aviation fuel and a seat. These aren't illegal items, even though they were found near this landing took place. Is that in deed the issue?"

Chester Williams, Acting ComPol
"We surely do not yet have the amount evidence we need. We are almost there I can tell you. Having the seat of the plane, couple minutes after the landing of the plane, surely creates a nexus between the occupants of that vehicle and the plane. And so we just want to be able to investigate further and gather additional evidence that we believe will be sufficient to lay charges and subsequent conviction. And so that is what I am hoping we will get from the newly composed investigative team."

Reporter
"Sir is it a concern for you that yet again police officers are being placed in proximity to illegal landings of airplanes?"

Chester Williams
"Well it is a concern. We are police and we are expected to uphold the law and police officers are not supposed to be involved in things like these. But at the end of the day, we are a huge organization and police officers we hire are from the general populace and so we will have these things now and then where police officers will be caught involved in illegal activities and it is a matter for us to ensure that we address it and we address it adequately and that's what we are trying to do."

As you heard, police did not find the plane's cargo, if it arrived with any. The cops say that through their international partners, they were informed well in advance that it was heading for Belize. They were simply not able to determine in time what illegal landing zone would have been chosen.

Since last year, there have been 13 such planes that have either been intercepted, abandoned, or destroyed within Belizean territory - which is, if course, only a small percentage of the total traffic.