A Mexican national who was badly injured when the Hidden Valley drug plane crash-landing was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on two drug related offenses and denied bail then remanded to prison until February
by Anita Nembhard-Flowers
channel 1 Belize.com
Belize City,
Tuesday, December. 21st., 2021
After being detained since December 7th. with injuries sustained during the crash-landing of a drug plane in the Hidden Valley area, Mexican national 27-year-old, ‘Jesus Alberto Martinez Quintero’ was released from the Hospital; after which he was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate ‘s Court on two drug related offenses including importation of drugs.
‘Jesus Alberto Martinez Quintero’ was carried in and out of the courtroom because leg was broken when the plane crash-landed, He was discharged from the Hospital today.
Quintero in the presence of his attorney, Oscar Selgado appeared before Magistrate, Khiana Gordon in Court #1 where he was read two charges, one count of importation of control drugs, to wit, 579.34 kilograms of cocaine, and one count of landing an aircraft without permission from the Minister responsible for civil aviation.
Allegations are that he and another on November 28, 2021, at Hidden Valley Airstrip in the Mountain Pine Ridge area, Cayo District, in a white Cessna 210 airplane, imported 570.34 kilograms of cocaine. It is further allege that Quintero and another on said date, at Hidden Valley Airstrip, Cayo District, without the permission of the Minister responsible for Civil Aviation, landed a Cessna airplane with cocaine.
Quintero who was unable to walk or stand, he was allowed to sit at his arraignment Magistrate Gordon only read him the charges and explained to him that she will only ensure he understood the charge as no plea would be taken since the matter is being dealt with on indictment.
No bail could ne offered and Quintero was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until February 22, 2022.In court, Quintero who speak only Spanish was provided with a female interpreter assigned to him by the court.
Note while his attorney refrained from giving an interview into the matter, he did shared with us that his client underwent surgery on Friday, December 17, 2021 at the KHMH for his hip and right leg which was broken. And that 3 days later, on Monday, December 20, 2021, he was discharged from the KHMH where police was waiting for him with charges.
