Mexican Fishermen Escape Quarantine!
The three Mexican nationals who were placed in quarantine on Thursday have escaped from the facility. The men, Gabriel Vargas de la Cruz, Noel Gonzalez Alamilla and Arturo Pedro Cordero, are from a small village called Xcalak in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo. The Belize Coast Guard’s Maritime Law Team busted the men fishing in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve on Thursday morning around three-thirty. They tried to get away from the coast guard but they were stopped and detained and given face masks. The men were later taken to Corozal where they were swabbed and placed under quarantine. But they got away from law enforcement authorities guarding the property and they made good their escape. Today, Commissioner Chester Williams explained what he knows happened.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“In the case of the three Mexicans, yes they were caught in the area of Bacalar Chico by the Coast Guard and they were handed over to police. But again, with the way how it works, these people must go into quarantine first at least until the swab result comes they remain in quarantine before we charge them. So, what happened yesterday is that they were taken to Corozal Town and they were placed in mandatory quarantine at the ITVET building. This building is manned by elements of the volunteer element of the B.D.F., not police. We were made to understand last night that the three Mexicans escaped from the quarantine center. I know that elements of the police and BDF were canvassing the area up to this morning with a view to see if they can be recaptured but that was to no avail. We believe by now they may have gone back across the border but we are still in the area looking to see if they will be recaptured.”
Duane Moody
“Sir, I guess, the obvious question is where did this slip-up happen?”
Chester Williams
“That is a matter being dealt with by the B.D.F. internally. They are conducting their own investigation to see if in fact the B.D.F. officers who were posted at the quarantine centre were negligent in the sense that they were not paying much attention to these persons as they ought to have and if it is that they should find there was some negligence then that would be dealt with internally by the B.D.F.”
Duane Moody
“Sir, does this then make you guys rethink the process that happens when these persons enter the country illegally, that instead of putting them in a quarantine center, maybe inside a cell?”
Chester Williams
“Well, we would prefer a cell block at least until they go to court. But, again, we don’t want to have the cell block overcrowded. If it is that we have local Belizeans in the cell, we don’t want to put foreigners in the cell along with them or nearby with them. And so to avoid that, then we would prefer they go to the quarantine center and that is the reason why these Mexicans were taken there. Normally, once our cell blocks are empty, we would normally keep them there until we go to court.”
Duane Moody
“Sir, what happens now with them? Are you in contact with your counterparts about this? They are still subjected to that offence, nuh?”
Chester Williams
“I am sure no country is going to return their subject to stand trial for a charge like that but yes there sis collaboration between forces of both countries but we will see what will happen from there.”
