PANAMA CITY, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Bellhaven Copper & Gold, Inc. (TSX-Venture: BHV) ("Bellhaven" or the "Company") in conjunction with its joint venture partner Empire Minerals Corp. (OTC:EMPL), is pleased to report the expansion of its Phase 1 drill program at the Cerro Chorcha Copper Project in the Western Highlands of Panama. Due to the ongoing success of the current drill program management has determined that an additional hole (for a total of eleven holes/approx. 3,600 meters) will be required to expand the boundaries of the high-grade gold, copper, and silver mineralization which has already been discovered in multiple quartz-magnetite stockwork zones beginning at surface and extending to an undetermined depth.

The ongoing objective of the Phase 1 drill program is to test copper-gold-silver mineralization associated with structurally-controlled quartz-magnetite stock-work within the larger main porphyry copper system. Additionally, the drill program is examining the extent of the mineralization, particularly in areas untested by previous operators. The recently released data on holes CH-07-01, CH-07-02, and CH-07-03 has provided evidence to support the existence of deep, higher grade mineralization below the known areas of copper-gold mineralization at surface. The known surface expression of copper mineralization (> 0.1% Cu) at Cerro Chorcha is over 1400 meters in length and over 600 meters in width and remains open in all directions and at depth.

To date, Bellhaven and Empire have completed all 10 of the originally planned dill holes at its Chorcha property. Currently, holes CH-07-04 through CH-07-09 are at analytical laboratories pending completion of assay results. In an effort to expedite the turnaround time for drill core assay results, management has retained, in addition to Acme labs of Canada, the services of an additional ISO certified laboratory (SGS Labs) in Peru.

    The following chart shows the final depths the Phase 1 drill holes:

    CH-07-01   240.00 meters

    CH-07-02   241.00 meters

    CH-07-03   320.00 meters

    CH-07-04   445.78 meters

    CH-07-05   386.60 meters

    CH-07-06   350.00 meters

    CH-07-07   305.90 meters

    CH-07-08   270.00 meters

    CH-07-09   295.00 meters

    CH-07-10   422.00 meters

The holes that have been drilled thus far can be classified as "infill" or "infill with depth extension step out." The first 200 meters of holes CH-07-04 and CH-07-05 test, as infill, the mineralized zone defined by previous drill holes. The remaining meters (245.78 m in hole CH-07-04, and 186.6 m in hole CH-07-05), at depth, step out into previously untested areas along section to the northwest. This is also true of holes CH-07-09 (95 m of step out), CH-07-10 and CH-07-11 that infill the area in and along strike of Previous drill holes G95-19 and G95-21, but test to the northwest and at depth (step out) areas with no previous drill holes. The remaining holes can be classified as infill, with holes CH-07-02 (Highlights of hole 2 included 124.9 m of 1.32% Cu, 0.15 g/t Au, and 4.8 g/t Ag) and CH-07-06 filling in significant areas which were previously untested.

The objective of the last 3 holes (CH-07-09 to 11) located in the southwestern extension of high grade copper mineralization, are two-fold. Hole CH-07-09 was sited to test, as an infill, the mineralization encountered in previous drill holes G95-21 and G95-19. Holes CH-07-9 and CH-07-10 were sited to test, as an infill/step out, this same mineralization along strike to the northeast (CH-07-10) and southwest (CH-07-11). Holes 21 and 19 occur approximately 400m west of our reported CH-07-01 and CH-07-02.

Upon completion of the current drill program management will review the geologic data and begin preparing an updated NI 43-101 compliant resource calculation as well as phase 2 drill targets (program to begin in Q1 2008).

This news release has been prepared under the supervision of Michael D. Druecker, Ph.D., P.Geo. who serves as the Qualified Person for this project under National Instrument 43-101.

Bellhaven Copper & Gold Inc. is a Panama-based mineral exploration company with a portfolio of gold and copper properties in the Republic of Panama. The company has issued 23,583,101 shares and has no debt. For more information, please visit the web site at http://www.bellhavencg.com or call Miguel Villahermosa at toll free 1-866-599-5930.

On behalf of the board of directors,

Julio C. Benedetti, President, CEO

BELLHAVEN COPPER AND GOLD, INC.

Pini Althaus, Chairman & CEO

EMPIRE MINERALS CORP.