Bus passenger busted with weed gets fined $10,000

David Galindo

A Santa Elena Resident who was busted with almost three pounds of weed on November ninth, 2011, was today found guilty of Drug Trafficking. He’s not going to prison, but David Galindo, was slapped with a fine of ten thousand dollars by Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith. Galindo was on a bus heading into Belize City from the west but when it reached the check point at mile four, all passengers were ordered to exit while the GSU conducted a search. According to GSU officers, Constables Paul Phillips and Leonard Augustine, who testified against him, the marijuana was found in a blue knapsack found under the first passenger seat on the right side of the bus. The cops say that when they asked who owned the bag, Galindo identified himself and stepped up to claim it. His social security card was also found inside. But in court Galindo denied ownership of the bag and said that it belonged to another man who was travelling with him. He claimed that police found the ID in his bag of clothes and planted it in the bag with the weed after he left the checkpoint. But the Chief Magistrate did not buy his story and found him guilty. Galindo was ordered to pay half of the ten thousand dollars fine forthwith and the remainder by November thirtieth. If he defaults on payment, he will spend two years in prison.  Galindo was imposed a non-custodial sentence because he has no previous convictions for drug trafficking.