Guatemalan National Fined $35K + 3 Years in Jail for Drug Trafficking

Ivan de Jesus Lopez

Police say that they’ve had a number of drug interdictions in western Belize in recent weeks. As a result, they have stepped up their response to tackle many small drug trafficking operations in that area. While the authorities believe there are other persons heading the drug operation, they have so far managed to nab some of traffickers. Over the weekend, police arrested a Guatemalan national in Benque Viejo.  Around five-thirty on Saturday evening, police saw a man about to board a bus at the terminal and when they searched him, found over a pound of cocaine and a small quantity of crack cocaine. The man has since been slapped with drug trafficking charges, fined thirty-five thousand dollars and will spend time at the central prison. ACP Joseph Myvett tells us more.

Joseph Myvett

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“Benque Viejo Police were on patrol near the Benque Viejo bus terminal where a Hispanic male was observed with a black hand bag attempting to board the bus. As a result, police followed him into the bus and a search was conducted on the bag which he had in his possession. Upon opening the bag, police discovered a transparent parcel which had two different bags of white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine and when weighed it amounted to four hundred and ninety-two grams. Also, another parcel was in the bag which when weighed amounted to twenty-nine grams of suspected crack cocaine. This person was later identified as Ivan De Jesus Lopez, a thirty-four-year-old Guatemalan of a Melchor address. He has since been arrested and charged for two counts of drug trafficking. He has since been taken to the Magistrate’s court today where he was fined a total of twenty-five thousand dollars for the four hundred and ninety-two grams of cocaine and an additional ten thousand dollars for the twenty-nine grams of crack cocaine. And he was also sentenced to three years imprisonment.”

Reporter

“I am assuming he had crossed over from Guatemala to Belize without any kind of detection from customs or immigration office there – so that is what I am getting at?”

ACP Joseph Myvett

“At this point in time we do not know where he crossed.”

Andrea Polanco

“Is this someone who has come on the radar of the authorities before as someone involved in drug trafficking or drug deals before?”

ACP Joseph Myvett

“No. Not that we know of. However, we have seen an increase in trafficking in that area in the trafficking of drugs in small quantities in that area.”