7 News Belize

Weed By Air
posted (April 29, 2019)
On Saturday, police confiscated 5 pounds of weed as it arrived on a plane at the municipal airstrip. Police told us more about their investigation so far and about how they handle these situations.

ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City
"San Pedro police were conducting their routine checkpoints at the municipal airstrip in San Pedro; they came across the cargo section of Tropic Air of a box containing twenty-two small parcels of suspected cannabis. As a result police opened the box and when it was weighed, it weighed a total of two thousands three hundred and fifty-six grams of cannabis. No one was found with the box so it was labelled as found property."

Reporter
"How do we address this issue, because it's not the first time that we are reporting of this airline, people using it to transport these drugs. What kind of investigation can police do in terms of finding out who is sending the drugs and who it's going to."

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"Based on the information that police are receiving, that is where the information is being followed. I know that they are looking for a person who the parcel was addressed to. Sometimes, we know that these parcels are sent in people's names, but the people do not really exist and that is the challenge that we have sometimes. But whenever we have accurate information and we know who the package is being delivered to, that is where the police do make an arrest sometimes."

Reporter
"Are you able to say how these packages get pass the airport authority? Aren't there proper checks that are done to ensure that things like these dont pass through the airport?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"This was done at the municipal airstrip in San Pedro."

Reporter
"Arent there proper checks?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"No. You can go to the cargo section and deliver a parcel and it is sent from one location to the other."

Reporter
"How do you detect it. Do they open up the parcels and see the green leafy substance?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"Yes, based on information that police received, it is some that is constantly being done. It's not the first time and also on the boats that comes in from Corozal and from other places."

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