Suspected Narco-Jet Burnt After Landing in Toledo, Belize: No Cargo Found, Say Authorities

A suspected drug plane landed early this morning in a remote area of the Toledo District. The aircraft, believed to be a narco-jet, was initially tracked by the Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC) as it headed toward Belize from South America. However, it disappeared from the radar after entering the country’s airspace, and it eventually landed in southern Belize. This morning, police and members of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) conducted a flyover of the area and discovered the burnt remains of the plane. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams says that no illegal cargo was found near the wreckage. He explained that the police were working to intercept the plane but were unable to track its exact location after it disappeared from the radar.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: “Sometime after 11pm, an illicit track was declared leaving South America coming our way. As we normally would do in these instances, we would coordinate through JIAC in ensuring that we deploy personnel in different areas that we suspect the plane may likely go and land. We monitor the track until it enters our airspace sometime after 1, 2 this morning and it disappeared about two miles away from the Belize-Guatemalan border in the south. Our counterparts have indicated to us that it landed in Belize territory near the border with Guatemala in some extremely rugged terrain. And so the BDF did a flyover with the aircraft and we also send in a jet team comprising of police and BDF to the location. And a few minutes ago they were able to locate the plane in Belize territory just as was indicated to us near the Guatemalan border. So it’s a small, it’s a jet and it has been destroyed by fire. An air strip is there that the plane landed on. From all indications from the team on the ground is that the plane landed well, it was not damaged during landing but after landing it was pulled on the side and it was burnt.”

Williams added that the police continue to monitor activities in remote areas of the Toledo District.