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This morning in northern Belize, Customs and The Coast Guard were on operations in the Rio Hondo when they made a major contraband bust.  At 9:00, they intercepted a pair of skiffs, one aluminum, one fiberglass which were loaded with all kinds of contraband. 

The boats carried 25 cases Mexican beers, 5 cases Big Cola, 8 sacks Bola Roja Flour, 1bag of Footwear, 2 bales of Clothing and 5 bags Tupperware - all to a total market value of $14,000. And you can add to that the value of the skiffs - $6,000 dollars.  And that’s because the two men on board jumped overboard when they saw Customs and swam to the Mexican side.  The Coast Guard took charge of their vessels, bought them to the Belize side and loaded the cargo up into vehicles for transfer to the Customs storage facility. 

Customs believes the boat was coming from a coastal community on that side called Manuel Obregon and that the goods were destined for San Victor on the Belize side - which is a contraband hotspot.  

It’s a big bust - and caught in broad daylight - but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Customs estimates that as many as 9 such cross river contraband cargoes come across daily.  

In this case, no one can be charged for fined - since the owners took to the water.