Two Customs Officers Linked to 150-Pound Cannabis Seizure

Back in April, the Customs and Excise Department made headlines after a major drug bust, about sixteen pounds of cannabis found in sealed packages coming from the U.S. But what was really shocking was that two customs officers were tied to the investigation. Fast forward to today and fifty-one-year-old Atlee Castillo and his sister, forty-five-year-old Cheryl Castillo-Moreno, are now facing charges for abetment to the importation of controlled drugs. On April fourth, around four p.m., a customs officer discovered five boxes packed with over a hundred parcels of marijuana, more than one hundred and fifty pounds in total. That officer claims he got two phone calls from the accused, allegedly instructing him to clear those packages. Today, both siblings appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail of twenty thousand dollars each, plus four sureties of five thousand dollars. After the hearing, we spoke with their attorney, Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, who says his clients were mistreated during their arrest.

 

Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney-at-Law

“Senior public officers with years of experience at the customs, we don’t know specifically what they do at the customs are being accused for a long time. No, and I just want to say what other attorneys who were assisting before I came on board, that it was agreed yesterday because they have detained these persons. They have cooperated with the police, they have spoken, given information and so forth. And yesterday they were told. You and your lawyer or lawyers come to the station. Come to the customs, let us hand over, because have to read the charge sheet to the person. Nine o’clock to come and read the charge sheet to go over to the court. I am here on another matter in front of the chief magistrate. One thirty. One thirty a.m., they are banging down their door. That’s not how we behave in the profession. They know that they’re under investigation from April, if they wanted to abscond,  they would’ve done that. There’s no need to do that. You don’t tell somebody, okay nine da morning when you come we will hurry do the charge sheet and get you over. And then one thirty the children are being rudely awake and traumatized with all these, the usual business.”

 

Reporter

“But all that aside, the fact is that bringing charges like this against customs officers was not anything anyone took lightly. It was not approached in a willy-nilly style. Bwai we wa pick ney up and we wa hold ney fi wa forty-eight. it was done very carefully. Over a long period of time. One thing’s taking advice. I’m saying that it’s a serious allegation they face. You have not seen the evidence, but from what you heard there in court, you can see their cell phones were taken. Information was gotten from that. Are you confident that with the weight of the evidence that the police will produce, that you will be able to get your clients off?

 

Richard “Dickie” Bradley,

“We shall see what we shall see. If God is willing.”