A week ago, we told you about the recovery of the Toyota Hilux Pickup truck, which belongs to Alvaro Gongora, the deputy mayor of Benque Viejo Town. That vehicle, which was stolen in the remote areas of the Hydro Road, was seen racing into Arenal, Guatemala.
Well, police are reporting tonight that another of Gongora's stolen vehicles was discovered in Guatemala by the police authorities on that side. This one is a red Ford explorer, and it was also discovered intact.
Here's what police had to say this morning about this discovery, and the steps being taken to hand it over to them:
ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch
"Yesterday, Benque Viejo Police were contacted by our Guatemalan counterparts, members of the Policia Nacional Civil in Melchor who reported to them that they had recovered a red Ford Explorer Sport, which is believed to belong to Alvara Gongora, which was stolen in Benque Viejo a few weeks ago. Also, they had recovered earlier in the week, a gold Toyota Hilux which was also found abandoned at a farm in the Melchor area and that vehicle also is believed to belong to Santiago Molina, which was also stolen a few weeks back on the Arenal Road."
Reporter
"Sir, so how do you deal with those cases?"
ACP Joseph Myvett
"At this time, the papers are in process and there has been cooperation between Belize law enforcement authorities and the Guatemalan law enforcement authorities where several of these vehicles have since been handed back in these types of cases."
Reporter
"What is the police doing in terms of prevention?"
ACP Joseph Myvett
"The police have definitely stepped up their operations over the last few weeks. If you notice there was a constant trend and then it suddenly, based on the new strategy, have subsided. So the police will continue to maintain effective strategies in these places in order to continue to minimize the incidents of crime."
As you heard, police will continue their efforts to keep a presence on the backroads that lead to Guatemala. These are the same routes that bandits have been using to smuggle stolen vehicles across the border.
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