Tropical Dagger: It sounds like a cool name for an action movie. But while it is not a movie, there surely was a lot of action for the entire month of November at the BDF's camp Belizario in Cayo. Tropical Dagger is a regional training that brings together top security forces from Canada, Belize, Jamaica, and for the first time this year, Trinidad. Courtney Weatherburne was there for the final exercise. Here is her story.
This man on the phone with the du-rag is a part of a heavily armed narco-team.
He is the point-man in this operation – securing the airstrip and calling the pilot to land the drug plane.
As the plane arrives, the men quickly gather to transfer the drugs to this truck …
But the BDF and other special forces have been laying in wait all this time, looking for the right time to pounce, and they did.
The police swarm the area, search and handcuff the men, provide any medical assistance to those who were injured in the cross fire and document any fatalities.
This was just a short demonstration of what a successful drug plane interception looks like – it is the final exercise in a month long regional training known as Tropical Dagger.
General Steven Ortega - BDF Commander
"It is a combined exercise that has been planned jointly with the Canadian forces and the relevant security force units that are represented here. Presently we have Belize of course, BDF, Coast Guard, the Belize police department; we have elements from Jamaica, Trinidad."
They started off with some training first initially within the first couple weeks and then, in the beginning of November right, then it culminated with this final exercise which is to incorporate all the training they have conducted to ensure they practice what they learned.
Courtney Weatherburne
"Could you go into specifics, details in terms what is was like for the entire month?"
General Steven Ortega
"They did some shooting, some coordinated planning because we are bringing countries together who don't normally work together, or units who don't normally work together especially in Belize so as they mentioned it is like singing everyone has to work as one to ensure that is all coordinated and it works."
Courtney Weatherburne
"Based on your personal experience in Jamaica, what are some of the similarities you see as it relates to the operation and the drug trade itself and how these cartels move and work."
Brig. Cdr. Antonette Wemyss Gorman - Maritime Air and Cyber Command, Jamaica Defense Force
"Cartels have their own networks and they are always trying to keep ahead of law enforcement so what we are doing here today is making our good network counter the bad network by training together so we can operate seamlessly together to counter their operations."
Brig. Gen Steve Boivin - Deputy Commander, Canadian Special Operations Forces
"We are learning just as much as our partners are learning in this case so when it comes down to tips we are taking as many tips from those partners as they are taking from us so it is really a partnership."
And when it comes to drug plan interceptions, that partnership and cross unit collaboration is key because sting operations like this one are very involved and tedious.
General Steven Ortega
"If you notice the scenario plays out in a real life scenario in Belize, this is what we train for, for real life scenarios so."
Courtney Weatherburne
"Based on this demonstration it seems like a ABC, 123 operation, but that is not the case in real life."
General Steven Ortega
"If you remember the captain just spoke and he said how long they took to plan and it is just for a short period of time in terms of the action, it all depends on how the scenario plays out, the surveillance team could have been on the ground for two weeks, for a week and nothing happens."
Or as has been the case in Belize, the narcos land the plane and transport the drugs way before the police get to the spot – finding only burnt remains.
But there are also cases like in September where the Belize forces successfully intercepted a drug plane in Blue Creek, confiscated the drugs and arrested and charged two police officers and two Mexicans. But even with these victories, the fight against the narcotics trade continues.
General Steven Ortega
"In the Caribbean we all have this drug issue and the other countries in the Caribbean suffer the same fate as us so this is just to integrate all the units should they be needed in another country they can work together as one unit."
Tropical Dagger began in 2012 in Jamaica. This is the 3rd year it is being held in Belize.
