Law enforcement authorities in Belize have taken two individuals into custody on separate crack cocaine trafficking charges following two distinct operations carried out over the weekend of April 11-12, 2026, in locations across the southern part of the country and the capital Belize City. Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, a serving Staff Officer with the department, shared full details of the coordinated arrests in an official statement following the processing of both suspects.
The first case unfolded in the quiet residential community of Bella Vista Village, southern Belize, at 11 p.m. on April 12. Officers were first dispatched to the area to respond to reports of a domestic disturbance, a routine call that uncovered an alleged narcotics operation. Once on scene, 31-year-old Adam Pop, the suspect in the dispute, attempted to flee responding officers before being successfully apprehended. A pat-down search of Pop following his arrest recovered multiple small parcels of suspected crack cocaine wrapped in aluminum foil. Laboratory testing confirmed the substance was crack cocaine, with a total weight of 2.35 grams. Pop has since been formally charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply, a felony offense under Belizean drug law.
The second arrest came 24 hours earlier, on the morning of April 11, at a residential property on Hyde’s Street in central Belize City. In this case, officers launched a targeted search operation focused on recovering unlicensed firearms and ammunition, a priority for Belizean law enforcement working to reduce urban violent crime. As the search team entered the property, one officer positioned at the rear of the home to establish a perimeter spotted 59-year-old Lydia Castillo attempting to discard multiple small silver foil packages. When officers recovered and opened the parcels, they found they contained suspected crack cocaine weighing a combined 1.9 grams. A subsequent systematic search of the entire property recovered an additional 8.8 grams of crack cocaine that had been hidden on the grounds, bringing the total seizure from the Castillo case to 10.7 grams, and 13.05 grams across both operations. Like Pop, Castillo has been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply.
Both cases are now progressing through the Belizean judicial system, with the seized narcotics held as evidence for upcoming court proceedings. This report is adapted from a transcribed evening television news broadcast original to Belize, with all official statements retained and verified for accuracy.