Drug and Gun Charges Dropped in Orange Walk Case Due to Lack of Evidence

Twenty-four-year-old Stephanie Marie Patten Cima and 21-year-old Mexican national Misael Varela are free tonight after the court upheld a no-case submission filed by their attorneys. Cima and Varela had been charged with drug trafficking and possession of illegal guns and ammunition following a police raid of a house in Orange Walk back in 2022. They were charged along with 24-year-old Joshua Brandon Hall and 22-year-old Alden Lara after the raid. Lara pleaded guilty to all charges at the outset. Today, Chief Magistrate Deborah Rogers upheld the no case submission, saying that the prosecution failed to establish a “real nexus” between the items and the accused, especially given Lara’s earlier guilty plea. She emphasized the need for proof beyond a reasonable doubt, not just their presence at the house. While Cima, Hall, and Varella are free, Chief Magistrate Rogers had concerns for Varela, the Mexican national. Denied bail, he had been jailed since June 2022 as a flight risk. Rogers worried he might be re-detained for past immigration offenses. However, the prosecutor confirmed documents were signed for Varela’s escort to the border by the Belize Immigration Department, ensuring his direct return home. Attorneys Dickie Bradley and Leeroy Banner represented Cima and Varela, respectively. Joshua Hall, who absconded after bail, was also acquitted in an ex parte trial.