High Court Indefinitely Suspends 14-Year-Old Drug Plane Case

President of the Association of Defence Attorneys (ADA) Dickie Bradley has applauded the High Court’s decision to indefinitely suspend criminal proceedings against six men charged with facilitating a drug plane landing. Harold Usher and Victor Logan, along with former police officers Lawrence Humes, Jacinto Roches, Renel Grant, and Nelson Middleton, had been charged back in 2010. They were acquitted back in 2014 in the Dangriga High Court after the trial judge accepted a no-case submission. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions successfully appealed the initial decision, and they were re-indicted in 2016. Since then, the matter has dragged on before the courts and has seen several delays. On July 15, the men filed a constitutional claim, alleging that their right to a trial within a reasonable time had been violated. Attorney Bradley had been involved with the case in its initial phases and said that after fourteen years, justice had definitely been delayed and denied to the claimants. 

Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney: “In that case the police were able to recover quite a quantity of drugs but the persons they won it in front of one of our favorite judges, Justice Dennis Hanomansingh Singh who has retired now and the matter was appealed and it started dragging on, dragging on until this year. Actually, Anthony Sylvester, when he was the attorney general, when he was in private he was engaged in making applications and submissions to the court, which our good friend Leroy Banner took over the matter when Anthony became the nation’s top law enforcement officer and minister of justice and the judge agreed. The judge agreed that you can’t get a fair trial 15 years afterwards. That  whatever explanations are offered there is a thing called justice.  Those men, their lives have been ruined. I did the case in front of Justice Hanomansingh Singh I couldn’t recognize two of my clients when I went  to Justice Sylvester’s court. This is how, I mean, these people lives have been ruined. The rule is when the Court of Appeal orders a retrial if you are in prison it’s should take no longer than about six or seven months. If you’re out here, nine months. 15 years, Rastafari.”

Prior to the court’s decision, the matter had been scheduled for September 15 in the Belmopan High Court.  As a correction to our story yesterday, the six men had been out on bail since 2012.

While that Bladen drug landing is now concluded, the Bladen 12 trial remains unfinished.  The Bladen 12 defendants were back in the Belize City Magistrates Court today for the continuation of their trial. The group, eight civilians and four former police officers, is accused of facilitating the landing of a drug plane near Bladen Village, Toledo District, back in 2021. They are appearing before Magistrate Baja Shoman, charged jointly with 2 counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, one count of conspiracy to land a plane at an unlicensed aerodrome, and one count of abetment of the importation of a controlled drug. The trial resumed with witness testimony this week after using all of last week’s sessions to read witness statements into evidence. Taking the stand today is Superintendent of the Belize Central Prison Roberto Novelo, who is giving evidence on behalf of the prosecution. Novelo’s testimony is expected to continue tomorrow, after which the defense will cross-examine him. The Bladen 12 is represented by attorneys Dickie Bradley, Dr. Linden Jones, and Leeroy Banner.