The Benque Viejo Free Zone doesn't get half as much of the attention that the more well established Corozal Free Zone does. And we get the impression that's just the way the smugglers like it out in the wild, wild, west, where there are consistent reports over the years of leakage of Zone products into the mainstream economy.
Police in the west proved at least one case of that when they made a fairly sized bust of contraband goods last night at 8:45.
That's when the cops conducted a stop and search on a vehicle that had just left the Benque Viejo Free Zone. Their search lead to the discovery of 6 cases of Modelo Especial along with 2 liters of Black Label, 2 liters of Captain Morgan, and 2 more liters of other whisky brands, along with 33 cartons of Pine Blue and Gold Rich cigarettes - which are both Chinese brands.
The driver was 31 year old Ryan Lopez and he was handed over to customs along with the goods. In most such cases, customs seeks a settlement based on the value of the products.
Email
Print