Two Customs officers, siblings Atlee and Cheryl Castillo, were arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate Court on the morning of October 2, 2025.[1] They were charged with abetment to importation of marijuana.[2][3] Attorney Dickie Bradley represented the siblings when they appeared, as Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Lynn Vidal read out the charges.[1] The court granted each of them $20,000 bail on condition that they surrender all travel documents.[1][3]
The parcel containing 68.69 kilograms of cannabis arrived in Belize in early April.[1] It arrived as part of a consolidated group of packages from the United States, such as are typically shipped in barrels through freight services.[1] The parcel was not addressed to either of the accused.[1] The accused had reportedly told the inspecting Customs officer that the parcel contained bath and body care products, asking him to watch for the parcel and clear it for them.[1] When the examining officer opened the parcel, he found plastic bags of cannabis instead of lotions and soaps.[1] The examining officer reportedly called Cheryl Castillo while she was on her way to pick up the parcel.[1] A security camera allegedly recorded her vehicle entering the Customs compound and then diverting when she took the call.[1] The examining officer then gave the police a statement about what he found, while the female suspect began reporting sick and unable to work.[1] The package was declared as bath and body products but contained tightly sealed bags of high-grade cannabis.[2][3]
The Customs Department pursued the investigation for five months.[1] Investigators did not know how many officers were involved or how long the smuggling had been in operation.[1] The cannabis was reported to be very high grade, which could fetch several hundreds of thousands of dollars through street sales.[1]
