Immigration, Mines to charge Chiquibul gold panners

Over the weekend San Ignacio police received six Guatemalan nationals – thirty-eight years old Agusto Perez Gonzalez of Dolores, Petén; twenty-six years old Wilfredo Antoniel Chavez of Barrio Nuevo; eighteen year old Dimas Espana of Las Brisas; and three minors all seventeen years of age. They were caught digging for gold deposits inside a pit near the Ceibo Chico creek in the southern Chiquibul National Park, several miles into Belizean territory, on Saturday afternoon. According to Superintendent Rosado, further investigation is being done by two other departments in respect to charges of illegal entry, mineral extraction without a permit and defacing a protected area.

On the Phone: Supt. Richard Rosado, O.C. San Ignacio Police

On the Phone: Supt. Richard Rosado

“The F.C.D. did bring in, I believe it’s six Guatemalans; they were handed over to Immigration to be dealt with by Immigration; in terms of the gold panning, they were handed over to the Inspector of Mines to see if there is enough evidential material to lay charge against them. So it’s a matter that is being dealt with by Immigration and he Inspector of Mines.”

Found at the panners’ camp were the men’s clothes, food, machetes and a homemade shotgun.