7 News Belize

Gonguez Gets Out Of Guatemalan Jail!
posted (December 30, 2010)
We first reported on the plight of Oscar Dennis Gonguez, 28 days ago, at the start of the month. He was locked up in Melchor on November 28th., accused of smuggling 260 grammes, half a pound of marijuana into Guatemala.

We've stayed close to his family since then following his incarceration and their travails while trying to secure his release, right up to being gypped by a con man who almost got three of Gonguez's sisters stuck in jail themselves!

Indeed it has been a trying time for the family - and today the heaviness that has been on them all through the holiday season was lifted when Dennis Gonguez came home.

7 news was there for the homecoming and Monica Bodden tells us how it went.

Monica Bodden, Reporting
When we arrived at the Gonguez's residence this afternoon - the entire family was in full swing getting prepared to welcome their loved one back home - after being locked up in a Guatemalan jail.

And then this maroon Mitsubishi car with Guatemalan license plates pulled up - 22 year old Oscar Denis Gonguez was the first to exit the car.

In his hands was his one year old daughter who he hadn't seen for over a month.

One of his sisters along with his many nieces and nephews were the first to greet him and then came another one of his sisters.

As he entered his yard he was embraced by his mother.

Dennis Gonguez
"I feel good to be back home, nothing better than home."

Gonguez was locked up in Melchor on November 28th after Guatemalan police alleged that he had a bag of marijuana.

Belizean freelance journalist - Joseph Budna - who resides in Guatemala - heard about his story and spearheaded the effort to get him back home.

It was Budna who escorted Gonguez back to Belize City today - after numerous negotiations with the judge and prosecutor.

An agreement was made yesterday and this afternoon in a press briefing, he told us what happened when they appeared in court yesterday.

Joseph Budna, Assisted in Release
"We had the first prosecutor that wanted, that took the case up for drug trafficking in Guatemala. With my assistance that prosecutor was removed and we had a prosecutor who was a little bit softer and we come to an agreement that whereby we would come to a bargain that Mr. Gonguez will therefore accept and he would obtain his freedom immediately and that bargain was 'we will forgive you, you accept the drugs is for you, if you want, if you don't want, we will continue the process, but you could accept that it was for you - that you had involvement and what will happen next is that we will give you your freedom with a forgiveness.' This freedom of forgiveness comes with 4 month imprisonment that they were sentencing him for and 200 Quetzal fine. Myself and the attorney argued that we want the best freedom for him, the best bargain."

And so when that was done, the 21 year old Gonguez was released from prison at 5:30 yesterday evening - after spending 31 one days behind bars.

Gonguez was facing with the charge of drug possession and later that charge was upgraded to drug trafficking - he was looking at a sentence of 6 months to 2 years behind bars.

Today he spoke about his experience - one he says he wishes never to relive.

Dennis Gonguez, Release from Jail
"It's like hell, it ain't nice. From 5 o' clock in the morning you have to get up and work right through the entire day, clean the trench on your knee, where people spit in the trench - you have to clean it in boxers, no shirt, scrub the whole day. It ain't nice."

Monica Bodden
"They treat you differently because well….?"

Dennis Gonguez, Released from Jail
"I am black? Yes."

Budna expressed his disappointment in those at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who he says did not help

Joseph Budna, Assisted in Release
"It was the embassy's obligation to assist Mr. Gonguez to get back home free. I am not supposed to be taking any money out of my pocket to pay gas and this and that but I have done enough for Mr. Gonguez and I am happy to have him home back but I am very disappointed at the people there at the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs and how they handled this matter. I think they got mad because I jumped in, in this case. From the time I got involved the mother had not receive a phone call from them. This is disappointing and unprofessional; I think they should be removed immediately, this is stupidness, what are they paying them for? To sit down in a office and eat pizza, pollo campero over there? No man, come on! Do something better than this! This man was extorted in the prison and you will tell me that you are looking out for Mr. Gonguez wellbeing when you don't even know he is suppose to go to court? When I am asking about his lawyer they are giving a Zetina when the Zetina had been changed a long time and replaced with a private lawyer. I had to ask the private lawyer to renounce because the family don't have 9,000 Quetzal (BZ$3,000 and odd) to pay him. I had a legal aid establish, I had all this time with Mr. Gonguez. At the end of the day the reason why I did it is because he is a fellow Belizean, I live there and I know a lot about the law and have some contacts and I saw this on one of the local TV station and I knew the embassy could have done much more and he did not even had to spend 3 days in prison because if the embassy wanted to work they would have done it."

And to this day Gonguez still stand by his words of not knowing anything about that half pound of weed.

Dennis Gonguez, Release from Jail
"I went to Melchor, I went in this bar and met 4 young boys, i went around the bar to buy cigarette and all of a sudden I see the police coming, I know I didn't have anything so I didn't run I stood right there, the police told me to freeze, I put up my hand and they rub me down and move me from where I was and took me where the bag was and ask me if the bag is for me, I told them no and they said yes. I couldn't do anything. They took me to the police station and lock me up."

Monica Bodden
"You had no idea, nothing about this bag. You didn't know anything about this?"

Dennis Gonguez, Release from Jail
"No, nothing about the bag. If I knew about it I would have pleaded guilty and tell them the bag was for me but I didn't know what was in the bag, it was when we walked like 2 blocks away from the bar, the police opened up the bag and I saw it was marijuana."

Monica Bodden
"How hard was that for you knowing that you were never locked-up in Hattieville, and now you are locked up in another country that you didn't understand anything."

Dennis Gonguez, Released from Jail
"Different language was hard for me but I just had to be strong in it and just do the work that they told me to do and that's why I am here, that's why I came out."

Joseph Budna, Assisted in Release
"Tell them when they stop you from working hard."

Dennis Gonguez, Release from Jail
"When Mr. Budna talks to the man then so the guy eases me a little bit. If Mr. Budna didn't come, I would still be there right now."

And while he says he had nothing to do with trafficking, Gonguez did part-take in a smoke shortly after he got home. Speaking with Belize's Ambassador to Guatemala Fred Martinez today he said that it is very unfair for Budna to state that the Embassy did nothing. He said that their consul and first secretary have been following the case closely and assisted the family with the processing of documents for the judge. He says they did everything they could to help. As for Budna, he stresses that he did it all for free.

Gonguez's next court date is January fifth and he says he will appear…

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