Two Orange Walk Officers Charged with Extortion
How much does it cost to buy your way out of police custody? According to investigators, two Orange Walk officers demanded thousands of dollars from a detainee and released him after receiving the money. A police sergeant and constable now face extortion charges following an internal investigation triggered by a formal complaint in September. Both officers are expected in court as the Belize Police Department confronts fresh questions about corruption, accountability and public trust within its ranks.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“Police have formally arrested and jointly charged forty-eight-year-old Branson Peters, a police sergeant, and forty-year-old Ociel Aguilar, a Belizean police constable, for the crime of extortion. The charge follows police’s investigation into a report made by an individual who stated that on 24th September 2026, whilst in police detention, he arranged the handover of four thousand dollars in order to be released from custody. As a consequence of this, an investigation was initiated and that investigation resulted in the charge of Aguilar and Peters.”
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