8 MAR
15
THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
Neglect, Cover up, and Greed
By Gilroy Usher “Last month Genaro Luna Mexico’s former public safety secretary (minister) in President Felipe Calderon Cabinet from 2006 to 2012 was charged in a Federal Court in New York with three counts of trafficking cocaine and one count of false statements. U.S. prosecutors allege Luna accepted millions of dollars in bribes from Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s Sinaloa cartel and in exchange allowed it to operate without interference. – Associated Press, January 2020 On Thursday of last week, the war on drugs in Belize claimed the lives of four brave members of the Belize Defense Force (BDF). The soldiers lost their lives when their helicopter crashed into the Gales Point Lagoon in the dark night for reasons still unknown. That was about quarter mile from where police and other law enforcement officials had seized a jet with 69 bales of cocaine along the coastal road. The soldiers were suddenly sent on the mission over the dark jungle in a helicopter that had absolutely no night vision equipment. That is a shocker. Former Minister of Defense John Saldivar, who was recently dismissed from Cabinet for accepting $25,000.00US monthly from convicted fraudster Lev Dermen allegedly to curry favor in Belize, had used the resources of the BDF to facilitate his football team as if the army had more funds than it could spend. Those resources are what should have been used to secure night vision equipment and other basic accessories for the safe and secure use of the BDF helicopters in any operation. In its second press conference surrounding the drug bust, the government’s effort to convince the public that the soldiers lost their lives in an operation in which everything was done above board resulted in more questions than answers. Why was Brigadier General Steven Ortega commander of the BDF kept in the dark about the entire mission? More than a week after the tragedy, who ordered the men to participate in the drug operation is still a tightly guarded secret. Why? Residents near the helicopter base say the chopper departed from its location around 2:00 a.m. in the dark Thursday, which is around the same time the drug plane landed. Officials say the chopper departed its base 2 hours later at 4:00 a.m. after using 2 hours to warm up the engine. Nonsense. Drug bust requires rapid response. Even Simple Simon knows that. Furthermore absolutely no logging of the departure of the crew was done as is standard procedure. In speaking to the press Minister of Defense Michael Peyrefitte said that when officials did not hear from the helicopter crew for more than 15 hours. from early Thursday morning, they were not concerned, because when the crew takes part in a drug operation they don’t communicate with the base for hours unless there is an emergency. That’s one of the most ludicrous statements. The huge danger of any drug operation necessitates that those in the field be in constant contact with their command center for their own safety and the success of the mission. In speaking to 7 News Belize, father of Yassir Mendez one of the fallen soldiers and Sgt. Mjr. Marcello Mendez Rtd. summed up the feeling of a wide cross section of Belizeans in saying. “I need to know who gave the green light. I was told today that they make
the plane land. But how to take off, how did that happen? They were on the spot, and they made the plane land. I will tell you. An officer of the BDF told me that. So probably they didn’t disclose that, but I found out. There are fishy things in there. I cannot regret if we sue the BDF.” Drug barons have millions of dollars in cold cash that can make people’s dreams come through. In numer-
Belize City Please Quote:
ous countries people from the janitor to their Prime Minister are avaricious. Drug barons therefore use their funds to bribe those individuals to facilitate the smooth movement of their cargo in every possible way. That explains why despite the best efforts of some persons in Belize and other countries, drug trafficking while dangerous and deadly is one of the most lucrative businesses in every single country.
Notice
Vacancies – Village Councils The general public is hereby notified that in accordance with Part 111, Sections 6 and 9 of the Village Councils Act, Chapter 88 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2011, and Section 3 of the Village Council (Elections) Regulations 2009, (Statutory Instrument 134 of 2009), the following Village Councils have declared vacancies within their councils as follows: District Villages Names Positions Reasons Belize Isabella Bank ------Two Members Vacant St. George’s Caye ------Member Vacant Freetown Sibun Winston Shepherd Member Resignation
Burrell Boom
Gladys Robinson
Member
Resignation
Whilda Murillo
Member
Resignation
Aron Baptist
Member
Deceased
Rebecca Nicholson
Member
Resignation
By-Elections – Isabella Bank, St. George’s Caye, Freetown Sibun and Burrell Boom Villages By-elections to fill the vacant posts of Members in the Isabella Bank, St. George’s Caye and Freetown Sibun Village Councils are scheduled for Sunday, 29th March, 2020 from 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Isabella Bank and Freetown Sibun Community Centers and a Open Lot (Tent) at St. George’s Caye and also for Burrell Boom Village Council from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the Burrell Boom Community Center. District Stann Creek
Villages Hopkins Maya Center
Names Ashford Miranda Ana Pau
Positions Member Member
Reasons Resignation Resignation
By-Elections – Hopkins and Maya Center Villages By-elections to fill the vacant posts of Members in the Hopkins and Maya Center Village Councils are scheduled for Sunday, 29th March, 2020 from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the Holy Family RC School, Hopkins Village and from 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Maya Center Community Center. Villages Names Positions Reasons District Toledo Midway Aravinda Paau Member Resignation Otoxha -----Two Members Vacant Pueblo Viejo
------
Member
Vacant
Conejo Creek
-----
Two Members
Vacant
By-Elections – Midway, Otoxha, Pueblo Viejo and Conejo Creek Villages By-elections to fill the vacant posts of Members in the Midway, Otoxha, Pueblo Viejo and Conejo Creek Village Councils are scheduled for Sunday, 29th March, 2020 from 9:00am to 1:00pm at Midway, Otoxha and Pueblo Viejo Community Centers and St. John The Baptist RC School, Conejo Creek Village. ~ End ~
