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Pseudo-ephedrine – it’s the active ingredient in Sudafed cough medicine but it’s also used to make the deadly drug crystal-meth, which is made in Mexico and smuggled into the USA. And that’s why, working along with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency in June, Belize illegalized the importation of pseudo-ephedrine into Belize. After that, a shipment of it was slipped out of the Customs Department and later hijacked on the Western Highway. And, indeed it seems the demand for this chemical on the black market is great and the lure, irresistible.

And that’s what sent two men to court today, facing a stiff fine for allegedly trying to smuggle pseudo ephedrine into Belize. 49 year old Bruce Virgo and 36 year old Lennox Bowman were taken to court this afternoon after three days in detention. They are charged with importing prohibited goods, namely 10,240 tablets containing pseudo-ephedrine.

On Monday afternoon, Bowman when to the Customs office in Belize City to clear the box. He reported that the tablets were kidney medication to assist his dialysis. But when Customs officers checked the pills they were pseudo-flor - which is a substance containing pseudo-ephedrine. Customs then followed the paper trail and that led them to the DHL Office on New Road, and that led them to their second suspect, Bruce Virgo. Virgo was the one who went to pick up the documents that bowman presented to Customs Department when he tried to clear the box.

That’s the evidence, but in court this afternoon both men pleaded not guilty and were offered bail of $10,000 each, which they met. Virgo was represented by attorney Darryl Bradley. If convicted, they face a stiff penalty because the rule is that you have to pay triple the value and according to custom’s, the prohibited substance has a single value of $46,080.00 and a triple value of $138,240. Both Bowman and Virgo are expected back in court on September 25.