Several individuals were arrested and charged on Friday, October 25, following an extensive investigation into a series of robberies that took place across Western Belize between June and October 2024.
Report No. 1: In connection with a June 5, 2024, robbery at Country Meat Products Limited on Venezuela Street, Belmopan, police arrested and charged 47-year-old Jonathan David Cruz, an unemployed resident of Belmopan, with robbery. Cruz and 41-year-old police officer Eva Giselle Dawson were also jointly charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Report No. 2: Following a June 16, 2024, robbery at Gas Tomza on Shulab Street, Belmopan, Cruz was again charged with robbery. He and Dawson were also jointly charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Report No. 3: Regarding an October 9, 2024, robbery at Lopez Pharmacy on Ring Road, Belmopan, police arrested 25-year-old laborer Robert Andrew Tillet from the Cayo District and charged him with robbery. Cruz, Dawson, and 18-year-old call center agent Elijah Jonathan Cruz were additionally charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Report No. 4: In a June 15, 2024, robbery at Quality Poultry Products on Costa Rica Extension, Belmopan, Cruz and Dawson were both charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Report No. 5: For the July 12, 2024, robbery at Best Care Pharmacy on San Martin Road, Belmopan, Cruz was charged with robbery, while he and Dawson were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Report No. 6: In connection with the October 18, 2024, robbery at Belize Western Energy Limited (BWEL) on Forest Drive, Belmopan, Tillet was charged with robbery, while Cruz and Dawson were again jointly charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Report No. 7: Finally, for another incident at Country Meat Products Limited, Cruz and Tillet were charged with robbery, while Cruz and Dawson were once more charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
On Friday, Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters that investigators had narrowed down on individuals believe were the orchestrators behind these robberies, and that a police officer was under investigation.
On Thursday, police detained a female officer along with her common-law husband. Williams added, “A search of the police officer home yesterday led to the discovery of a number of police uniforms from males and she is a woman that’s including number one and the BDUs again interestingly is that many of these robberies that were committed. Persons that committed them were wearing either police uniform or the BDUS and we have found clothing matching those at the police officer house and so we are putting together the file gathering all the evidence . We also found the vehicle that was used as a rental vehicle that was used by them in committing the robbery that took place I think three days ago in Belmopan. We also find a motorcycle that has also been seen on these robbery scenes and a number of other things so I believe that by now and Monday we should be filing charges against a number of persons.”
