Shipping Woes, Not All Gifts will be in Time for Christmas

Delroy Fairweather

What we understand from credible sources within the Customs and Excise Department is that there has been an increase in the number of contraband items, including compressed, high-grade marijuana, being shipped to Belize from the United States.  Out of an abundance of caution, shipping containers are being searched thoroughly and swept for illegal cargo.  This, inevitably, delays the turnaround time for clearance.  While Fairweather could not speak on that issue, he explained what a hundred percent examination is in the context of searching for contraband.

Delroy Fairweather, Customs Broker

“There’s always this possibility that if there’s a window of an opportunity, stuff like that would occur.  I know from the little bit that I know about consolidation containers which would be like these barrels and boxes, persons would normally just find the consolidators to ship their stuff with; customs then, would ensure that they do a hundred percent examination.  That kind of slows down the process a bit because of course they are looking to see if there is anything illicit in these containers, but not to the point where it would create any unnecessary delays because if you would have a hundred persons in that container, it’s not a hundred persons that would be, if they are doing anything illegal, would be bringing illegal items into the country.  So if there is any semblance of that, or if it’s any situations where they would find stuff like that, they would know how to address that. It’s a kind of a new market really.  A lot of people are venturing into consolidations because we know, of course, the Belizean diaspora communities within the U.S. is pretty huge.  People would try and get into this market because they’re figuring it’s something lucrative for them that they could make monies from it, but they are underestimating all the factors that are involved and if you are someone new to this and you are just collecting cargo for people to bring into Belize and you don’t understand the process, then this is where the delays are created.”