Thursday, August 13th, 2015 Aaron Humes Reporting: Channel 5 News has reported that alleged drug dealer Hugo Casanova, who has been in detention in Chetumal since February 2013 for drug trafficking,
has been linked by the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s office to the double murder of Arena del Rocío Palacios Valdés, a pregnant woman, and her husband, Octavio Augusto Góngora Jiménez.
Three other men have been arrested and a warrant has been issued for the arrest of another three. Casanova was detained in 2013 when the Mexican Naval in a sting operation busted a house in Chetumal.
There they found forty-five kilos of crystal meth ready for sale and distribution. Among the group of men was another Belizean: Ermelindo Vázquez. The detailed newspaper report claims that both men appeared to enjoy police protection in Belize years ago.
In the 90’s both were accused separately; Casanova for drug related offenses and Vasquez was linked to a confiscated drug plane loaded with cocaine.
But, says the report, he was never convicted because the evidence suddenly went missing.