This morning police men Tyrell Talbert, Byron Claire, and Steve Rowland along with six others were all arraigned in Orange Walk magistrate's court on charges of drug possession and breach of curfew.
The other accused include Garrett Banner, Fitzgerald Claire, Marlon Reyes, Edward Reneau and Dwight Mcfadzean.
These are the alleged narco nine who were found in a boat on the New River lagoon on Friday, in possession of 2 bales, or 60 kilos of cocaine, shortly after the crash landing of a twin-engine drug plane.
And since jurisdiction over the area is within the domain of the Orange Walk's court that's where they were affirmed today. Here's more with help from our colleagues at CTV-3.
The alleged Narco Nine from Friday's drug bust had their day in Orange Walk's magistrate court today.
It was a heavily guarded scene with soldiers and weapons at the ready. But while the cops may have feared that these men's alleged comrades might try and spring them, their high powered attorney wasn't allowing anyone to jump to conclusions.
Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"The nine accused persons were arraigned in the magistrate's court of Senior magistrate Merleen Moody and they were called upon to plea and they all plead not guilty and the matter has been adjourned until the sixth day of April."
"The police detained nine persons who did not come out of a plane, did not seen jumping out of the plane, were not found loading or unloading the plane and in there statement to the public they say that all nine of them had a quantity of drugs and they have charged them for that. You need to give the system a little chance to work and not hammer and gamma people before they even get a chance to give side. We creole's we have a phrase that you could be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"If you hear that plane has crashed you wouldn't want to see if you could rescue somebody or try and go to the scene of a crash, there was presumably according to something that there was a big ball of fire."
The Press did press Bradley about the circumstances of his client's arrests but they were met with this response.
Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"Possession of two bales wow ok well I guess that matter will be tested when it comes to court. All nine of them were in possession of two bales? or the tow bales were in one of the fishing net or something, you didn't get the details."
"You know one of the problems in a small society is that these 9 people are already convicted; it's just a matter of sentencing them, they're all guilty. They don't need a trial."
But they had their first day in court, and while they couldn't get bail here, they're set to apply for it at the Supreme court.
Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"The Magistrate under the Crime control act is not able to grant bail because of the quantity of cocaine and the law in this country, thank goodness, the law in this country is that have a right to apply to the Supreme Court to in fact restore their freedom, because you'll hear the adjourned date is until April. Why would innocent people be in prison until April?"
Innocent until proven guilty, if the police can prove it:
Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"They did not come on the plane that had the drugs. You can't go fishing in your own lagoon? I leave you with that hear."
Bradley is jointly representing the men along with his co-council Leeroy Banner.
Their next court appearance is at 9 a.m. on April 6th.
Police say they are still seeking other suspects.
