Police raid hauls in illegal ammunition
Belize City police have arrested and charged three people in connection with the discovery of a large amount of ammunition, including explosives. It’s not the biggest cache to be taken in by police, but the amount of bullets and expended shells which turned up in a raid of a house in Belize City this morning has led police to believe that they are close to breaking up a vibrant ring of illegal firearms circulating around the old capital. According to Inspector of Police Edward Broaster, three branches of the force have combined their resources to tackle this potentially explosive issue head on. Broaster says that police intelligence and an ongoing investigation into recovery of illegal firearms, led them to a house on Belisle Avenue where the sizeable amount of ammunition, but no guns, was hauled in.
Inspector Edward Broaster
“We recovered 65 rounds of 2-2-3 ammunition along with a magazine for either a A-K 47 or M-16 rifle along with some expended shells of some 45 caliber revolver or pistol and some point 38 rounds of ammunition which are expended also.”
Q: “The ammunition has been found so I take it that the guns may still be out there?”
Inspector Edward Broaster
“Well the guns are still out there and we’re getting cooperation from the individuals who, the person or persons who have brought these firearms from this individual should start thinking about turning them in before we caught up with them.”
Q: “So there is like a grace period now whereby if you turn in the gun voluntarily you won’t be in any trouble?”
Inspector Edward Broaster
“These specific firearms, that we have been investigating and we know who have bought them from this individual, we are encouraging them to turn these firearms in before we caught up with them or they will have to face the minimal term of 3 years imprisonment for these firearms.
We are not sure where these firearms came from. We know for a fact that there are individuals in Belize City who have been smuggling firearms into the country through the Mexican borders and other areas – from the United States as well as Central America. The police are always investigating and carrying out their intelligence gathering mechanism and we are doing profiles on these individuals and we will be making arrests whenever the time is appropriate.”
Those charged in connection with the discovery of the ammunition at thirty eight Belisle Avenue this morning are Margaret McDougall, Pearl Dawson and twenty four year old Leslie Smith. All three are charged jointly with two counts of the possession of unlicensed ammunition including explosives, although Smith is claiming that the ammunition is his and that the two women have nothing to do with the illegal cache.
But the claim that the bullets and expended shells taken in by police are his, is not the only one that Leslie Smith is making. During questioning this afternoon, Smith told Police, that the ammunition was allegedly taken from the scene of the recent fire on Albert Street, which burnt out three establishments. And evidence on the cache seems to support Smith’s story.
Inspector Edward Broaster
“Well all indications are that that might as well be truthful and we are looking into this and we are continuing the investigations. As a matter or a fact and we gonna try to find out exactly where he came across these firearms and ammunition.”
Q: “You have Leslie Smith in custody, is there the likelihood that other people will be in custody for either ammunition or gun possession?”
Inspector Edward Broaster
“This is exactly why I am appealing to those who have come in contact with these firearms and ammunition because we’re getting good cooperation on this investigation and there are a lot of people who have assist us. And Lester Smith himself, he is cooperating with us so these people better think twice and turn these firearms in or better not think twice and turn these firearms in and ammunition.”
