Shots fired during pursuit of vegetable contrabandistas
In a late afternoon session in court, Customs personnel filed a complaint against the owner of a Plymouth Voyager Van that was found with contraband vegetables on Monday night. The vehicle was pursued on the Northern Highway and shots were fired when the driver sped off, but the occupants abandoned the van and escaped in another vehicle that was waiting near mile two. Inside the van, Customs officers found seventeen sacks of carrots and thirteen boxes of lettuce, which have a value of two thousand, three hundred and forty-six dollars. 
It is believed that items are from Mexico and were smuggled through the San Victor area of the Corozal District. While it is suspected that at least two persons escaped from the scene, Customs Officials today secured a warrant for the arrest of the owner of the van, who is expected to be charged with obstruction and handling uncustommed goods. The penalty is likely to be triple the value of the goods, which is seven thousand thirty-eight dollars. Meanwhile, the confiscated vegetables will be donated to a charitable organization.
What is this, the wild, wild west? The owner parked his truck & went to sleep, had no idea who took his keys & stole his truck but he appreciates the great work of the Customs Officers for returning it to him in a timely manner.
Wow they are actually learning remember the last time this happened the judge ordered the vegetables to be destroyed doesn’t this make much more sense hurray hurray we are actually learning good to see.
How about Cystoms going after those who bring container loads across the border?? These people have the largest of warehouses in OW and quite suspiciously, normally unload at night. Was sitting at the border the other day and watching the area where Custom people park their vehicles……in what other department can U see so much SUV’s belonging to Public Servants?? Cum on, even the blind can see in this situation
Don’t this people realize that smuggling contraband into Belize only weakens our economy more? It is this same people who want free education, free medicine from government but yet THEY DO NOT CONTRIBUTE to the taxes or anything that make those things possible…
They just love handouts, government needs to start investing taxes back into the communities depending on how many taxes that community generates…
Its easier to contraband goods than plant them since government still imports it.. while the poor farmer goods are left to rot
On what planet is it legal to kill a man over vegetables? Belize police are ‘way messed up! As long as the police are wrong, the country can’t be right.
WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT OF SHOTS FIRED, I saw this on The Other news channel (you know… the one without a proper discussion forum). Channel 5 has done some investigative reporting on the danger to civil liberties of the new firearm law. NOW, it now seems, according to the story below, that if I am retrieving my nephew’s toy gun from under my car and a police mobile patrol spots me retrieving it, I will be cooling my heels at the Belize Central Prison that same evening. Question: Where along the spectrum of imitation firearms does it become an imprisonable offence? See the story below. CHANNEL 5, Please investigate what’s going on.
SENT TOJAIL FOR FOUND FIREARM
Fifty two year old Gerald Hamilton, a construction worker residing at 28 Nurse Findley Crescent, was charged with kept imitation firearm when he appeared today in the #5 Magistrate’s Court.
Hamilton wanted to plead guilty to the charge but Magistrate Albert Hoare entered an equivocal plea of not guilty when Hamilton explained that he found the firearm under a vehicle after he saw two young men put it there.
It is a firearm offence, and Hamilton was remanded into custody until June 3rd. The incident occurred around 3:30pm on Saturday April 30th.
The police were on mobile patrol on North Front Street when, acting on information received they stopped in front of the Water Taxi Terminal and searched Hamilton. The search resulted in the discovery of a black imitation firearm with brown handle.
It naive to think the police are trying to kill people over vegetable. They shoot at the vehicle in pursuit. They no know what the occupants conceal in the vehicle.Guns, drugs, what? It is the same on the sea. If the coast guard or port authority try to make a stop on you and you flee, expect to be fired upon! That is the way that is handled. Don’t want to be shot at by law enforcement. Co-operate and obey the law! Nothing to worry about then.
WE can GROW ANYTHING IN BELIZE……………WHY IMPORT/contraban…VEGETABLES???????
SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE…………..
It’s very sad that the police go after a illegal merchant of vegetables! and the one who got illegal drugs they help them!
In four Miles Lagoon only 15 minutes from the Border between Mexico and Belize you can hear the motor of the boat a early hours of the morning and sometime and midnight with no light! .
Most of the people know that they are customs helping to get the contraband and nobody can said something because they are afraid to be persecuted.
Somebody ask if we can grow anything in Belize Oh yeah we can!
but what happen you grow Onions and you try to sell to a good Price and what happen the goverment aloud to bring Onions from other countries and the belizian have to sell the onion very cheap!.
some product there are not in the season en Belize so we don’t have that product in the market meanwhile en Mexico that product is in season! and the goverment they don’t aloud mexican product easy here!.
Remember the time that they got a big ship of the Cocaine in the airplane in Sarteneja and they got 5 people in jail? what happen with those people?they said that the burn the coca in the Sugar Fabric do you think that is happen?
If the drugs were from Mexico for sure the Cartel would kill already all the people that let the merchandise get Lost ?
In the border with Mexico poor people sometimes bring items that are more cheap in Mexico , even Barley that is very difficult to find in the store and sometime items like ships and in the border if you don’t like to the custom guy , even a big Kola they take away from you.
Custom is close at 6:OO in the afternoon
But you can see big trucks with 2 trails crossing the Frontier to 11 and sometimes a 2 O’clock in the Morning and don’t tell me that trucks are empty?
You see very clear what happen! We see people from Belmopan and Belize with the Licence plate of Belmopan Office as Police ect. and they go free without declare anything to custom!