Last night at the Northern border, Corozal police made a major drugs and ammunition bust. The cops intercepted around 26.5 kilos of marijuana, and a parcel of 380 bullets which were being smuggled into Belize.
The cops got information on the criminal operation and at around 9:00, a group of officers intercepted two vehicles returning to Belize from Chetumal.
The officers searched the vehicles and found a total of 25 parcels of weed - weighing a total of 59 pounds and a separate parcel with 28 live rounds of 380 ammunition. The occupants of the 2 vehicles were later identified as Blancaneaux Maudel, Michelle Benguche, Kenyon Lewis, and Phylmore King.
At today's bi-weekly police press conference, Inspector Wilfredo Ferrufino, shared a few more details on the case, including the interesting way in which the drugs were concealed inside spare tires:
Wilfredo Ferrufino - Inspector, CIB
"Last night on Wednesday the 4th, Police from Corozal visited the northern border where they intercepted 2 vehicles, one a Kia Amanti which is a car with 2 occupants, one Kenyon Lewis and Phylmore King and the vehicle was searched and from that search resulted in 15 parcels of what determined and suspected to be cannabis that would be somewhere around 13.5 pounds. The drugs were found in the spare tire of the vehicle and there was another vehicle that was searched, a Ford Escape which was driven by at the time by Blancaneaux Maudel and another occupant Michelle Bengushe. They were in a Ford Escape that Ford Escape was searched and again inside the spare tire they found 24 parcels of suspected cannabis that would be 20,470 grams, we are looking at somewhere around 45 pounds of cannabis."
Daniel Ortiz
"Do the investigators suspect this was some sort of smuggling operation taking place?"
Wilfredo Ferrufino
"We would want to say that it is a smuggling because in the manner in which it was done. Putting it in the spare tire is a tricky way to conceal those type of drugs. I think I failed to mention that it was 28 rounds of .380 ammunition."
Daniel Ortiz
"Are any of these people known traffickers or offenders using drugs or ammunition in the past?"
Wilfredo Ferrufino
"Not to my knowledge, I don't have that information."
Reporter
"Now what kind of intel led police to stop first of all these vehicles because it's obvious that they were coming from across the border, you guys have had to have been tipped off."
Wilfredo Ferrufino
"All I can say is that it was information that we received, I'm not going to say from where or from whom and we are grateful for that information."
Police say that all 4 persons are detained pending charges, which may include drug trafficking and possession of unlicensed ammunition.
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