Trio of Mexicans Busted for Robbing ATM; Bail is Denied

A trio of Mexican nationals was arraigned this afternoon before Magistrate Sharon Frazer for scamming the Atlantic Bank of a substantive amount of cash.  The trio comprises of a couple and a resident from Cancun who were charged with the sophisticated theft of various Atlantic Bank ATM’s up north, but police are investigating more than one hundred thousand dollars stolen countrywide from the bank.  The fraud started since last November and led up to their arrests in Corozal Town, though they resided at a Ladyville apartment where they moved in recently. There police found electronic devices as well as numerous ATM cards which were swiped to withdraw the cash from the bank machines in Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize and Cayo Districts. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Three Mexican nationals, husband and wife Joscan Jafet Uriostegui and Belen Uriostegui Hernandez as well as Leonel Isaac Peralta Rodriguez, all of Cancun were this afternoon arraigned before Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazer for one count each for the theft of one thousand one hundred dollars. In court today, Joscan and Leonel were accused of stealing three hundred dollars each on the nineteenth of January from Atlantic Bank ATM in Corozal, while Belen stole five hundred dollars from the same bank ATM, but in Orange Walk.

Alejandro Cowo

ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City

“On Friday, police intercepted three Mexican nationals with an assorted different bank cards, international cards. They were intercepted in the Corozal District along with a substantial amount of Mexican currency. The Atlantic Bank had indicated to police that they had seen these three persons—two male person and a female—withdrawing several amounts of cash from different ARMs within the country.”

While today, the trio was charged for a total of one thousand one hundred dollars, the ongoing investigation has since revealed that between November and last Friday, Atlantic Bank ATMs across the country were hit and over a hundred thousand Belize dollars were stolen by the accused Mexican thieves. The cards were not for Belizeans, but international cards with different names attached and the trio would simply use them to withdraw substantive amount of money from the accounts.

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“They are of different persons so we suspect that they have been stolen from other persons.”

Duane Moody

“Belizeans?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“No, all of them are international cards.”

Duane Moody

“About how many cards? Do you know?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“We have over sixty if I’m not mistaken.”

Duane Moody

“Sir has the investigation been able to indicate how much has been withdrawn from these accounts so far?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“The report from Atlantic Bank is giving a rough estimate of about a hundred thousand dollars within a period from November to present date. Atlantic Bank in the freezone, Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize City, I have San Pedro, Caye Caulker, and I believe San Ignacio.”

At least for the past three weeks, the Mexicans lived here, at this apartment in Ladyville; it is here that the authorities—in collaboration with the Financial Intelligence Unit, recovered electronic devices believed to have been used in the crime.

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“A search conducted on their apartment at Ladyville yielded several computers and electronic items that the police at this moment is looking to see what other information we can get from those devices.”

Duane Moody

“Any details as to when they came into the country or anything like that?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“Well that is part of the information that we assume that we will pass on at the next press brief. It is certain that we are monitoring and because of the sensitivity of the information, we do not want to disclose all that we have at the moment.”

Duane Moody

“Any Belizeans involved in this—suspected to be involved in this? How are these people moving around?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“So far, as I mentioned, yes, we are looking for other persons. That is what we have so far noh.”

Today in court the trio was represented by attorney Kevin Arthurs for the bail hearing. They were denied bail on the grounds that they only had visiting permits and were considered flight risk. The trio is to return to court on March twenty-first. Duane Moody for News Five.

The incident is all too familiar to the case involving Bulgarian nationals, Jeorji Petrov and Halid Aptula who were caught stealing from the Belize Bank’s ATM through a fraudulent scheme in May, 2016. Both pleaded guilty to the crime and were sentenced to one year in prison.