Last week Thursday, we told you about 33-year-old Rosendo Joel Cantun. He was the cop who was busted at the Tower Hill bridge with almost 30 pounds of weed. He was arraigned today in the Orange Walk Magistrate Court.
At around 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, January 14th, police had a checkpoint near the Tower Hill Bridge in Orange Walk. That's when a black Ford Escape SUV drove up, heading in the direction of Carmelita Village. Rosendo Cantun, a police officer from Belmopan was in the driver's seat, accompanied by a woman.
Police searched the rear cargo area of the vehicle, where they found a black plastic bag, wrapped in transparent tape. Inside, the officers found 24 parcels of suspected marijuana. When the packages were weighed, it came up to a total of 13.218 kilos - or 29 pounds - of suspected cannabis.
Cantun was arrested and charged with the offense of possession of controlled drugs with the intent to supply to another. He was arraigned today before Senior Magistrate Merlene Moody, and he pleaded not guilty. Although the prosecutor objected, he was granted bail of $15,000.
He must return to the Orange Walk Magistrate Court on March 29th, his next adjourned date.
He was represented in today's arraignment by attorney Hurl Hamilton.
Cantun is the second cop in less than a month to be busted on an attempted marijuana smuggling operation.
