Leaked emails from Mexico’s defense ministry have unveiled a startling revelation: at least 70 drug-laden aircraft landed in Belize between 2020 and 2021. These flights, originating from airstrips near Maracaibo, Venezuela, were part of a sophisticated cocaine pipeline channeling narcotics through Belize and into the United States. American officials reportedly issued dozens of alerts to Mexican authorities, highlighting Belize’s previously underestimated role as a significant player in regional drug trafficking. On average, nearly one aircraft touched down every five days during this period, utilizing remote Belizean airstrips as drop-off points before the drugs were transported northward. Despite law enforcement efforts to dismantle one network in 2020, the so-called “air bridge” between Venezuela and Central America remains operational, albeit at a reduced frequency. Jesús Romero, a former U.S. naval officer who investigated these routes, noted that traffickers increasingly turned to Belize as a “pressure valve” to evade heightened surveillance in Guatemala and Honduras. The scale of these operations prompted the U.S. government to officially designate Belize as a major drug transit country on September 15, 2020. This designation underscores the leaked documents’ findings: Belize is not merely a stopover but a critical corridor in the flow of cocaine into the United States.