And while new Minister of State Espat and the Cabinet are meeting virtually, the commissioner of police is calling all his commanders to meet in person on Thursday.
It's called a commanders' conference and we asked him today if he's bending the rules because he enforces them:
Cops Catch Big Weed Bust At Northern Border Hotspot
And from police meeting - to police meeting criminals…Corozal Special branch made a major weed bust this weekend.
They busted 2 men with 40.2 pounds - or 18.2 kilos - of marijuana which they believe was smuggled over the border from Mexico.
The cops were acting on intelligence when they went to a hotspot in Chan Chen Village, where illicit cross border trade activity is known to occur. That's where they busted two men who had 18 parcels of marijuana hidden inside a fuel tank. Here's more from the police:
ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB
"On yesterday's date, sometime in the late afternoon, police were responding to information on the outskirts of Chan Chen Village, whereupon their arrival, they met one Rene Campos, who was besides a taxi. In conducting further searches in the area, they came across one Kid Campos, 38 years [old]. And at the time, he had in his possession a vehicle fuel tank. When the police inspected the tank, it had 18 parcels of suspected cannabis, when weighed, amounted to 40.2 pounds. As a result, police have arrested and charged both persons with possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply to another."
Jules Vasquez
"Obviously, it looks like an organized trafficking operation. Is this someone that the police had been looking at as a trafficker?"
ACP Joseph Myvette
"Yes, in the past, he has been looked at and was being studied by police officers. And that is a known area for illegal activities, where he was found."
The cops suspect that the location where the men were found is either a preferred stash area or that the men intended to transport the loaded fuel tank for further marijuana distribution in other parts of the country.
Trial Farm Shooting Could Be Over Weed Trade Or Stormy Past
And the illicit weed trade is also what may have led to a serious non fatal shooting in the north last night.
27-year-old Elroy Arnold, a resident of Trial Farm Village in Orange Walk, was gunned down last night. He was recently acquitted of murder, and that could have been a motive.
But, it also could have been weed, because He told police that 2 men approached him with the pretense of wanting to buy weed. While he was having a conversation with one of the men, the other pulled out a gun and shot him several times.
The Head of the National Criminal Investigations Branch shared more with the media in a press briefing:
ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB
"Yesterday evening, shortly after 6:30 p.m., Orange Walk Police were called to the Northern Regional Hospital, where they observed 1 Elroy Arnold with apparent gunshot injuries. He was seen in a stable condition, and what the police know so far is that sometime shortly after 6 p.m., Arnold was at his home, when he was approached by 2 dark-complexioned male persons wanting to buy weed. And in the process, whilst he was talking to one of them, the other person pulled out a handgun and fired several shots in his direction, causing him to be injured. At this time, we have not been able to establish a clear motive, but we are following two theories, the first being that it could have been drug-related, based on the information we're gathering. And the second [is] that he was recently acquitted of murder along with several persons. However, we have one named suspect who we are seeking at this time, who we believe can assist us in this investigation."
Jules Vasquez
"Might this be another illustration of that, the dangers associated with selling marijuana?"
ACP Joseph Myvette
"We wouldn't want to say that, other than to say that we believe that based on the pressures the department has been putting on these persons who are selling drugs, that it may have just been an isolated incident, or one of those incidents relating to one of the motives I had mentioned earlier."
