3 weeks ago, we told you about the Mexican national, 27-year-old Jesus Alberto Quintero Martinez. Police have identified him as the co-pilot of the drug plane which crash-landed in the Hidden Valley area of the Cayo District. That's the aircraft that was carrying a over 579 kilos of cocaine which were bore the logo of of Apple MacBook laptops. Martinez had been hospitalized ever since he was first discovered in the jungle, and tonight, he's on remand at the prison for that drug plane.
Martinez, who recently had to undergo surgery to treat the severe injuries to his broken hip and right leg, was unable to walk. So, police officers had to physically carry him to and from the court for his arraignment before Magistrate Khiana Gordon. He has been criminally charged with the offenses of importing drugs into the country and landing an aircraft in Belize without the necessary permission from the Minister responsible for Civil Aviation.
With the help of a Spanish translator, the sitting magistrate informed Martinez that she had a duty to ensure that he understood the allegations being made against him. No bail was offered, and Martinez was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until his next court date, which is scheduled for February 22 of next year. He is being represented by Attorney Oscar Selgado.
Martinez now joins Police Corporal Eric Young, Jaime Maaz, Miguel Zetina, Edwin Gonzalez, Edilberto Medrano, and Saulus Penner, who have all been criminally charged and arraigned in connection with that drug plane landing.
As we reported, at around 2:00 a.m. on November 28, a Cessna Centurion aircraft attempted to land at a private airstrip in the Mountain Pine Ridge, in the Hidden Valley Area. It is believed that the pilots had assistance from persons on the ground who forced the airstrip's watchmen to allow the plane to land. Due to the fog, the pilots miscalculated, and ended up crash-landing it. They survived, and while the narcos were attempting to offload their drug cargo, Belizean law enforcement teams responded to the Mountain Pine Ridge and blocked off all entry and exit routes.
The officers ended up detaining 6 men who were attempting to exit the Mountain Pine Ridge several hours later. They claim they were hunting in the area. The following day, the lawmen found the injured Jesus Martinez Quintero, and then on November 30th, they found the cocaine.
