High Profile officials detained in involvement in suspected Cocaine Bust

On Saturday 13th of November 2010 about 2:00am, Independence Police (ISF) received information of an aircraft suspected to have landed somewhere in Bladden Village. As a result ISF police proceeded to the area where a white van was seen coming through the area , where with the assistance of Belize Special Assignment Group (B-SAG)the van was intercepted at the San Juan Bus Stop.

On board the van were the following persons.

(1) Driver was Renel Grant 33yrs, Corporal of Police attached to Traffic Branch in Belize City;

(2) Nelson Middleton 39yrs, Corporal of Police and Driver assigned to the Govenor General and resident of Camalote Village;

(3) Lawrence Humes 38yrs, Sergeant of Police presently attach to Belmopan Police Station of #2 Grapefruit Street in Belmopan;

(4) Jacinto Roches 42yrs Sergeant of Police attached to the Internal Affairs Desk Belmopan and a resident of #22 Tangerine Street Belmopan and

(5) Harold Usher 36yrs Boatman at Customs Department of a Finca Solana address in Corozal Town.

All of the above persons were detained and escorted to the Independence Police Station along with the van. At the station a thorough search was conducted on the van resulting in the discovery of the following items: Several BDU’s with ADU markings, several wet clothing, 2 car size batteries Atlas brand , muddy jungle boots and tennis, can food , empty sausage cans, a licensed 9mm for Harold Usher.

The said van has been processed by Scenes of Crimes and Forensic, and items found have been labeled as exhibit. ASP Alton Alvarez, Officer-in-charge for Independence Police along with other police officers left en route to Bladden Village where between miles 56 and 57 they met BDF/B-SAG personnel. At the scene, they secured a white twin engine Beechcraft aircraft 300-FA 137 with Black, Red and White in color with number N786B Super King Air 200. The aircraft was processed for finger prints.

Also found at the scene was:

(1) Atlas brand car battery with 2 pieces of board which had

(3) lights attached on both sides. Further checks between miles 59 and 60 led to a small white container truck with VIN# JDAMEO8J2RGF75162 that contained (23) 17-gallons plastic containers

(3) tank with about 500 gallons of aviation fuel and 3 fuel pumps. Also found were a total of 12 pine logs.

Searches by the police in the Hicatee Area about 5-10 yards inside some bushes led to the discovery of

(1) GPS Garmin brand

(1) Iridium Satellite phone

(4) Hand Held radios

(2) RAYOVAC Flashlights

(1) Colt .223 semi-automatic rifle with Sr. No. 007865 with a magazine containing 5.56 rounds and 2 pairs of camouflage jackets.

At around 5:00pm as a result of further searches in the area conducted by Police on a road at mile 65 near the Genus Saw Mill, about ¼ mile in, led to the discovery of 80 bales of suspected COCAINE and 17 loose packs of suspected Cocaine. The drugs have since been secured by police and is being processed by Forensic personnel.

Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood Police Press Officer Tel. 227-2222 ext 302 www.police.gov.bz

Controversy at The Next Miss Belize Fashion Show

Controversy reigned at the Queen of the Jewel fashion show dubbed the Royal Parade this past Saturday when the final results were called out. The fashion show began nearly two hours (9:30pm) after its scheduled start-time (7:30pm). No explanation was given for the late start; however, the show itself was a sight to behold. Despite poor attendance, mostly blamed for lack of promotion on the part of the organizers, those that remained in the audience were ready for a fabulous show.

The beautiful delegates vying for the title of Miss Belize showcased the fun and fabulous designs of RH Creations. The colorful prints evoked a feeling of the tropics, and the general consensus was that those present (at least the ladies) could see themselves in at least two of the designs each. The showing was a success, and RH Creations certainly proved a hit. During the catwalk, the ladies were being judged for poise and presentation. At the end of the night, one winner was to be declared Best Model. Before announcing the winner, sashes were handed out to each girl - with some confusion as it seemed that the ladies hadn't been properly identified. A search on the website and Facebook pages of The Next Miss Belize brought up no proper identification of each girl.

Krista Cruz

In the end, the results were announced and it was a tie between San Pedro's Scarleth Delgado and Belmopan's Krista Cruz. However, the controversy erupted when the winner's sash and tiara were placed on Scarleth. Scarleth took her winner's walk down the runway, and Krista followed. That was when the audience realized a mistake had been made - apparently some had not heard the announcement of a tie, and the celebratory mood turned to boos. The ladies remained on stage, and their poise never faltered despite the controversy. For that, they must be congratulated.

Scarleth Delgado

RH of RH Creations takes his walk down the runway after the show.

Norma Lynch and Richard Henderson (of RH Creations)

The final show for The Next Miss Belize will be on November 27th, 2010 at the Bliss Center in Belize City. Many islanders are planning on attending to show support to their two representatives, Anna Haylock and Scarleth Delgado. It is the sincere hope of everyone that the organization will have worked out its technical issues and the pageant itself goes smoothly.