Police in Belize say plane carrying illegal drugs deliberately set on fire
Published:Tuesday | March 4, 2025 | 9:48 PM
BELMOPAN, Belize, – Police in Belize say they believe that a jet aircraft burned near the Belize-Guatemalan border last weekend was used to transport illegal drugs into the country.
Police Commissioner Chester Williams said the plane had landed in southern Belize and that authorities had been alerted to the aircraft leaving South America and heading toward Belize at around 11:00 p.m. (local time) on Sunday.
He said authorities closely monitored the plane’s movements and, “as we normally would do in these instances, we called the Joint Intelligence and Operations Center (JIOC), ensuring that we deployed personnel in different areas where we suspected the plane might land.”
The aircraft was tracked until it entered Belizean airspace, at least three hours after leaving South America, before disappearing about two miles from the Belize-Guatemala border in the south.
“Our counterparts have indicated to us that the plane landed in Belizean territory near the border with Guatemala in some extremely rugged terrain. So, the Belize Defence Force (BDF) conducted a flyover, and we also sent in a team comprising police and BDF officers to the location,” Williams said.
He added that while the teams were able to locate the plane in Belizean territory, near the Guatemalan border, “it is a jet, and it has been destroyed by fire.”
Williams said no cargo was found on the plane, which had landed on a makeshift airstrip.
“Yes, an airstrip is there that the plane landed on. From all indications from the team on the ground, the plane landed well and was not damaged during landing. But after landing, it was tipped on its side and burned.”
Belizean authorities have, in recent years, stepped up efforts to counter illegal flights carrying drugs into the country.
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