On this newscast, we often report on the Customs Department in Orange Walk and the various seizures they make of contraband, beer, cigarettes and vegetables. They regularly come across Mexican Beers by the multiples of cases - which is only a small fraction of the large quantity that is smuggled across the many illegal crossings oil the Rio Hondo.
Today - as it does every six months or so - Customs destroyed hundreds of cases of illegal beers at a location in Orange Walk. They did so following the rules of evidence with authorities cross referencing the cases destroyed with the recorded seizures. Here's how it looked:
Baxter Matthews, Customs and Excise Clerk II
"At the moment today as you can see we have a total of 444 cases of assorted beers and 79 cartons of assorted cigarettes."
Reporter
"What would you say is the street value of the items being destroyed here today?"
Baxter Matthews, Customs and Excise Clerk II
"Between the beers and the cigarette it's approximately $30,000 Belize dollars."
Reporter
"What happens when it comes to the vegetables and other items that are seized?"
Baxter Matthews, Customs and Excise Clerk II
"The vegetables, we work closely with BAHA. We have a high risk and a low risk in vegetables. The high risk are destroyed while the low risk are donated."
Customs intends to destroy more cases of beer tomorrow. All of it seized in the last 6 months. And again, the seizures are just a small fraction of the huge volume of contraband that slips through porous illegal border crossings.
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