Police Cracking Down on Northern Drug Operations  

In recent years, Belize has seen a troubling increase in drug-related violence, exacerbated by the flow of drugs across its borders. This issue is particularly worrisome in the northern region of the country. Several recent crimes, including the double murder of cousins Marvin Cante and Juan Raymundo, have been linked to drugs. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams assures that the police are not turning a blind eye to these serious concerns.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Certainly if we do not do anything and remain numb to the situation, it is going to create some problems for us. But that is not what we are about. We are a department that strives to be proactive, and that’s the reason why we have been placed in Northern Operations. And the Northern Operations have now become a permanent feature of our policing strategy for the North. Even in our budget that we submitted for 2025, 2026 it includes the Northern Operation still remain in place.  And certainly we have to be concerned narcotics is an issue, not just in Belize, but across the region. And when it comes into our country people try as best as they can to get it. For whatever reasons, I guess it’s because they believe that it’s a good sell. And so once people know you have drugs, you become a target. And that is something that we are seeing we have, we saw in 2024. And we need to ensure that we do as best as we can to not have those incidents in 2025. And so what am I briefing to my commanders this morning in terms of how we afford about 2025, is to make sure that we are extremely proactive in what we do. In terms of addressing crime we cannot be reactive. Policing is about preserving order. And as a department, working with our partners, we’ll do as best as we can to be proactive in ensuring that we stem these things from occurring. Yes, there are going to be some that is going to occur, because it will not be known to us. But once we get whims of certain things happening, we will ensure we address them..”