The trial of the Bladen 12 started today in Belize City. They comprise five lawmen, and the alleged narcos who police say conspired to land a Piper Cheyenne type twin prop plane on the Southern Highway in November of 2021 with 1,682 pounds of cocaine, and assorted weapons - some of them of police origin.
Today their trail for for 2 counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, one count of conspiracy to land a plane at an unlicensed aerodrome, and one count of abetment of the importation of a controlled drug started in earnest in a courtroom at the CB Hyde or Complex Building.
Jomarie Lanza reports:
The Bladen 12, the country's biggest drug trial in this century continued today at the CB Hyde building on Mahogany street. The Prosecution came in prepared today with a significant amount of evidence on hand, with the intent to officially begin trial today, Magistrate Baja Shoman made note that the trial was cut down from 12 days to now 11. But today's session was adjourned. Attorney Dickie Bradley who is representing the accused explains why.
Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"I don't want to comment on the high strung prosecutions situation but certainly we were all hoping as you have heard we were basically hoping that trial would have started today. But these things do happen during the course of a trial a trial of this nature where if you see this lots of documents if I charge only to read it one time I don't have to take any more cases for quite a while if I read it three times then I don't have to take any more cases for most of the year."
Reporter-
"And if you read it one time and write notes?"
Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"Well we haven't gotten to that part as yet but this is a trial with 78 witnesses and many exhibits firearms ammunitions drugs. I don't think they will want to bring the plane to court, but they are going to be exhibits in the trial as well.Now in the course of this particular trial there are at least two persons who were detained prior to being arrested. One of those persons has already emerged in the Belmopan magistrates court in front of a magistrate who has a masters degree in law, Ed Usher. That infact persons were severely beaten."
"And as a consequence one of them gave a statement which for me is not a big deal but when you are defending a person you can't take any chance because this is a trial that will land any convicted person a lot of time in jail this is a serious matter. Bringing a drug plane into this country and assisting in bringing cocaine is a serious matter."
The Magistrate mas made it clear that they will begin the trial with a trial within a trial, but will resume until Wednesday because one of the attorney's Oscar Selgado's trial continues tomorrow.
Dickie Bradley, Attorney
"The view of the trial magistrate. Senior magistrate Baja Shoman is that she would want to do the voider any statement that will be challenged on how it was obtained. The actual written law and hundreds of case law do not allow any person who has been threatened in due, promised something beaten, coerced whatever words that what they have written is just not going to be allowed in a trial."
The Bladen 12 are Sergeant George Ferguson, Corporal Elmer Nah, Corporal Delwin Casimiro, PC Nelson Middleton, Armando Martinez, Moises Perez, Juan Sanchez, Heinrich Redecop, Johan Wall, Fredy Gongora, and Adonis Campos.
