Merchants busted for contraband

They have been accused of cracking down on small timers and letting the big fish get away, but this week Customs Officers put some hurt on the contraband trade in cigarettes. Based on a tip, they raided the Vernon Street warehouse of Chung Loong Shop where they found a quantity of Winstons with a market value of over sixty-three thousand dollars. None of the cartons, which were labelled for export, displayed the required Belize Market seal and officials believe the uncustomed smokes originated in the Corozal Free Zone. Two shopkeepers, thirty-two year old Bijin Zong and thirty-seven year old Jianneng Mai, were read alternative charges of recklessly harbouring and recklessly acquiring uncustomed goods. When the trial begins prosecutors will decide which one to pursue. The accused pled not guilty and were released on bail of ten thousand dollars each, a figure the Customs Department feels is too low considering the foreign nationality of the defendants and the fact that, if convicted, they will be fined a sum equal to three times the value of the goods: almost one hundred and ninety thousand dollars. The case has been adjourned until December twenty-eighth.