Drug Plane Accused Seek End to 15-Year-Old Case

A high-profile case against the Government of Belize kicked off in the Belize High Court this morning. A group of men, who were acquitted on a charge of facilitating a drug plane landing in southern Belize back in 2010, is requesting that the court grant an indefinite stay on further prosecuting the matter. The request to the court follows the DPP’s successful appeal to have the men re-indicted. The men are Harold Usher and Victor Logan, along with former police officers Lawrence Humes, Jacinto Roches, Renel Grant, and Nelson Middleton. They say that the matter has been dragging on in the courts for almost 15 years, violating their constitutional right to justice within a reasonable time. The Crown argued that though the matter has been ongoing for some time, the wait is not unreasonable since a date has been set for the continuation of the case. The matter has been adjourned until July 30. The case is being heard by Justice Derrick Sylvestre. Representing the claimants in court are attorneys Leroy Banner and Dickie Bradley, while the state was represented by Imani Burgess and Alea Gomez. The men were accused of aiding the landing of a drug plane on the then Southern Highway in Bladen Village on November 13, 2010. The aircraft was found to have almost three tons of cocaine on board. They were acquitted back in 2014 in the Dangriga High Court after the trial judge accepted a no-case submission. However, they were re-indicted back in 2016 after the Director of Public Prosecutions successfully appealed the initial decision. The criminal case is set to resume on September 15 in the Belmopan High Court.