Police constable, Deon Bellini, is awaiting the verdict of his trials after he was caught with 40 pounds of marijuana back in December of 2020. He was under his Jeep Cherokee in the Westrac parking lot in Orange Walk when MIT officers approached him. When they searched his vehicle, they allegedly found two suitcases stuffed with the drug, and levied drug trafficking charges on Bellini.
Except, that isn't quite how Bellini remembers it.
He appeared unrepresented in court today for two counts of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug, and told Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser that he had travelled from Belmopan to Orange Walk, where his vehicle began giving mechanical problems.
At around midday, he went to Westrac to fix the vehicle, and that's when several heavily armed men dressed in black uniforms approached him. Bellini said at first, he thought he was being robbed, until one of the men identified himself as a Sergeant George Ferguson.
According to Bellini, Ferguson asked him if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, to which the constable answered "no." Ferguson then searched the front of the vehicle, before heading to the back. The Sergeant reportedly wanted to handcuff Bellini before searching, but when Bellini refused, Ferguson told him he was under arrest.
Bellini refused again, telling Ferguson that he recognized two of the other cops as men who had grievances against him, since Bellini claimed he previously dated one of their ex-girlfriends, and was currently in a relationship with the other's former partner.
Eventually, he let the officers handcuff him, and that's when he claims Sergeant Ferguson went into the back of the vehicle and took out two suitcases that he said he had never seen before. When Ferguson opened the suitcases, he saw that they contained marijuana.
Bellini told the court that he was then placed under arrest, but at no time was he read his constitutional rights. He explained that as he was being driven to the police station, he kept looking out the window to ensure that they were going the right way, because he was fearful for his life.
At the station, Bellini said he was forced to sign some documents, after Sergeant Ferguson reportedly told him that if he didn't, he would not be allowed to contact his family.
Bellini's case has been adjourned for February 27th, when the Chief Magistrate will deliver her verdict.
Notably, Sergeant George Ferguson was one of four cops that made up the "Bladen 11," the men who had been caught after the suspected drug plane landed in the south back in November 2021. Additionally, retired officer Marco Vidal,, whose nephew was also a part of the Bladen 11, had reportedly led the bust.
