7 News Belize

American Busted Coming through Free Zone
posted (May 11, 2020)
So, while that Belizean was stuck on the Chactemal bridge, an American man tried to enter Belize illegally through the Corozal Free Zone. He has been identified to us as 40-year-old Quenton Lavar Askew. Reports reaching 7News is that he was caught on Saturday trying to sneak into Belize through a hole in the Free Zone's fencing.

He was quickly detained and placed in quarantine, and according to Police Commissioner Chester Williams, he then escaped from the quarantine area. He was quickly recaptured, and now, he's facing multiple charges for offenses against the State of Emergency Regulations. Here's what the Commissioner had to say about that incident:

Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"We got that information. We intercepted the individual. He was taken into quarantine. He was actually found within the free zone. And yes, he came in from across the Mexican side, illegally. You'd know that our borders are still closed, and based on that, he was detained and taken into mandatory quarantine, as the law stipulates. He subsequently escaped from quarantine but was quickly apprehended. My instruction to the officers in Corozal then was to clear a cell block at the police station, and he's now in police custody at the cell block. He has been charged for entering the country illegally under the regulations. I believe he has been swabbed by the Ministry of Health. As soon as the test results come back, if it is negative, then he will go to court. We expect that when he goes to court, if he pleads not guilty, then he'll have to continue to undergo quarantine until the 21 days are up before he is released or granted bail."

"And so, we're on top of that. Again, we know there are a number of vulnerable areas on our borders. We continue to police those areas as best as we can. It has yielded the arrest of a number of persons, who came in illegally, and it goes to show the efforts that the security forces are doing, with a view to ensure that our borders are not compromised at this time."

The Commissioner said that police intend to ensure that he answers to all charges before he is deported.

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