By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Belize Police Department says it has not deployed additional officers to Western Belize in response to recent drug-related violence, arguing that sustained operations and increased use of technology are already underway in the area.
ASP Stacy Smith said police have been concentrating operational resources in Cayo for some time and believe recent successes are partly the result of investment in technology and intelligence-led policing.
Police have previously linked violence in San Ignacio and Santa Elena to competition over the illegal drug trade and have said cocaine and crack cocaine are increasingly appearing among younger users and street-level dealers.
Last week, police reported that operations in Cayo had removed more than 35,000 grams of cannabis, 2,468 grams of cocaine, 1,253 grams of crack cocaine and 1,043 grams of methamphetamine from the streets. Police said those operations resulted in dozens of people being charged.
Smith said authorities remain interested in targeting major suppliers but stressed that street-level dealers are also part of the trafficking network.
She argued that disrupting retail sellers reduces the local market and, in turn, the incentive for larger quantities of drugs to enter the country.
Smith also noted that drugs do not only enter Belize by illicit aircraft, pointing to Belize’s land borders with Guatemala and Mexico. Police continue to use the Mobile Interdiction Unit in northern and western Belize to target suspected trafficking routes.
Two of five new pickup trucks recently provided to the Police Department have also been assigned to the Cayo District.
The post Police say no extra officers deployed to Cayo despite drug tensions; technology and intelligence driving operations appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Belize Police Department says it has not deployed additional officers to Western Belize in response to recent drug-related violence, arguing that sustained operations and increased use of technology are already underway in the area. ASP Stacy Smith said police have been concentrating operational resources in Cayo for some time
The post Police say no extra officers deployed to Cayo despite drug tensions; technology and intelligence driving operations appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
