Son of Senior Cop Charged with Drug Trafficking

Noel Leal Jr.

Ladyville resident, thirty-one-year-old Noel Leal Junior, who was found with three hundred grams of cannabis, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith on a single charge of possession of three hundred grams of cannabis.  The bust was made on April fourth, 2017 on Faber’s Road, Belize City by police officers of the Special Branch Tactical Unit. In court, Leal Junior was unrepresented but had the support of his father, a high ranking officer with the Belize Police Department. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of drug trafficking and was offered him bail in the sum of one thousand dollars of which five hundred had to be paid forthwith. The court also imposed strident conditions.  He is due back on July seventh, 2017 when his case is set for trial.  According to a police report, officers of the Special Branch Tactical Unit were on routine patrol in the Faber’s Road area when they stopped a Toyota Camry vehicle driven at the time by Leal Junior. The vehicle was searched and police found a bag containing suspected cannabis.