Customs Seizes Mike Feinstein’s Aircraft Over Expired Import Permit

Customs officials in Belize City have taken a plane off the runway and placed it firmly on the ground, literally. Earlier today, officers from the Belize City Enforcement Unit seized a 1980 Beech F90 aircraft belonging to business Michael Feinstein; after determining it was no longer legally permitted to remain in the country. According to the Customs and Excise Department, the aircraft entered Belize under a temporary importation arrangement, which allows foreign aircraft to stay for up to six months, with a possible extension of no more than one year. Once that time runs out, the law is clear, the owner must either pay the required duties and taxes or remove the aircraft from Belize altogether. In this case, neither happened. The temporary permit expired, the bond securing the duties was not renewed, and the aircraft was not re-exported. As a result, Customs moved in, seized the plane, and it now remains in their custody as authorities enforce the rules governing temporary imports.

 

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