B.D.F. To Confiscate Sugar Heading Across the Borders

The shortage of sugar on supermarket shelves has been another issue that the government is trying to resolve. The report is that distributors have been selling the sugar across the borders to businesses that pay more for the product. That is an illegal act, unless those distributors have a permit to do so. But now these individuals may suffer losses if they are caught. Today Prime Minister Briceño said that B.D.F. soldiers will be asked to monitor the borders and to confiscate sugar going across the borders illegally.

Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño

“The sugar industry is subsidizing the price of sugar in Belize and the price of sugar is three times more expensive in Chetumal or in Guatemala – at least three times – sometimes, in some instances, even more. So you have unscrupulous business people that buy the sugar from B.S.I and they’re supposed to retail it to the different stores, but what they do, they turn around and then they smuggle it into Guatemala and to Mexico. What we decided in Cabinet is that we’ve asked the B.D.F to help us to monitor the border 24-7, along with BAHA. And if anybody is seen to be exporting sugar, we’re going to confiscate that, and then also, obviously, we’re going to levy fines on them.”