By: Omar Silva

Editor/Publisher: National Perspective Bz – Digital 2025

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: 28th Friday 2025

This is a significant and long-overdue public admission from the Commissioner of Police regarding the Belize Police Department's entanglement with drug cartels. For years, there has been mounting evidence and public perception of police officers—at various levels—being complicit in cartel operations, whether through facilitating drug landings, diverting investigations, or ensuring safe passage for traffickers.

The Commissioner's remarks, while candid, still leave several critical issues unaddressed:

1. Why Now? – The acknowledgment of cartel infiltration within the police force has been common knowledge among law enforcement, journalists, and the public for years. Why is the Commissioner choosing to be this frank at this particular moment? Is it an attempt to shift the narrative, maintain public trust, or deflect deeper scrutiny?
2. Recycling Officers Won't Solve the Problem – Transferring officers from one district to another does not remove them from the cartel's influence; it merely relocates the problem. Corruption in law enforcement, particularly in drug-related matters, is deeply systemic. Officers who are 'in too deep' with cartels may still maintain their connections, regardless of where they are stationed.
3. Lack of Prosecutions and Convictions – The Commissioner acknowledges that members of the police force have been caught aiding the cartels, but how many have faced real consequences? It is one thing to move officers around or issue stern warnings; it is another to ensure that those involved are held accountable through thorough investigations, charges, and convictions. The revolving door of accused officers being defended by well-connected attorneys and escaping justice is a long-standing problem.
4. Government’s Role and Inaction – This statement also indirectly raises questions about how much the government itself has tolerated or turned a blind eye to these issues. If the Police Commissioner openly states that cartel collaboration exists within the force, what measures are being taken at the highest levels to dismantle this influence?
5. Deep-Rooted Issue in National Security – The problem of law enforcement corruption isn't limited to low-ranking officers. Cartels do not simply infiltrate a police force at the street level; they exert influence higher up the chain of command. The true test of the Commissioner's commitment will be whether mid- and high-ranking officials with suspected cartel ties are exposed and prosecuted.
6. The Porous Border Factor – While police corruption plays a major role, the wider issue is Belize's largely unguarded and porous border with Mexico and Guatemala. Until border security is strengthened, cartels will continue to use Belize as a transit zone for their operations, with or without police assistance.

The Commissioner's remarks are a first step in admitting what many have long known, but words alone are insufficient. Belizeans deserve concrete actions: independent oversight of police operations, an anti-corruption task force with real teeth, and legislative changes to close the legal loopholes that allow compromised officers to escape justice.