3 Persons Charged for Drug Plane Bust

Police have charged three persons in connection with Sunday drug bust. They are Peter Friesen Junior, a Blue Creek resident along with two Mexican nationals, Eli Figueroa Nunez and Azarias Manzano and are yet to be arraigned. The charges are importing drugs into Belize and drug trafficking, but according to the charge sheet, others will be charged.  On Sunday, police and B.D.F. busted a single engine Cessna coming from Venezuela with one thousand two hundred and twenty six pounds of cocaine in the Tres Leguas area of Blue Creek, Orange Walk. On Tuesday evening, police placed Superintendent David Chi on administrative leave. Chi is the commanding officer of the Orange Walk Formation and according to well-placed sources; Chi is expected to be charged. Today, we caught up with attorney Dickie Bradley who spoke about the charges against Friesen, whose father is a Mennonite and his mother is Belizean.

Richard "Dickie" Bradley

Richard Bradley, Attorney for Peter Friesen

“If you revisit the footage that was being shown of persons who were picked up, the police officer who was let go last night and two  Mexican national. There was a fourth person, that person is a Belizean and lives in Blue Creeek in Orange Walk and was in the vicinity of where the plane was coming down. He said he heard the engine of the plane and heard gunshots like crazy and he decided to run for safety. He went and made contact with the police who were in the area. As a result the police man was let go last night and he has been charged for possession of five hundred and fifty two kilos of cocaine. The person from Blue Creek was charged for bringing in the plane, importation, and having in his possession, it’s a strange case because the police have the drugs but they say he had it in his possession. I haven’t had a chance to look at his documents to see if his is a pilot or anything like that but he says for sure he did not have any drugs in his possession.”

Reporter

“So then is Superintendent David Chi expected to be charge?”

Richard Bradley

“I saw that another attorney who probably is waiting for instructions. The talk is that there is a possibility that he may be charged.”

Reporter

“So is he detained?”

Richard Bradley

“I don’t represent him so I do not want to take away from another lawyer who will be probably representing him. He might be lucky like police officer Anthony and not be charged.”

Reporter

“So what then your client would have been doing at around that time, i know it was not too late but in a remote area?”

Richard Bradley

“I have not had the opportunity because of the almost mayhem with the gang members who were being given their charge sheets and then being told that they would be taken to prison. So I did not want him to come out of h is cell during that confusion and could have been a minor riot and somebody decide to really give trouble and next thing you know shots were being fired.”