U.S. Cargo Shipment Raises Red Flags At Port Of Belize

Police are investigating whether a shipment that arrived at the Port of Belize this week was being used to smuggle illicit substances into the country. The probe centers on two forty-foot shipping containers that arrived aboard a cargo vessel from the United States and were flagged for special inspection based on intelligence received by authorities. The containers, which were reportedly destined for two separate Belizean companies, were isolated during the unloading process and placed under police guard overnight. On Thursday, the containers were moved to the Queen’s Bond warehouse, where a joint team comprising the Belize Police Department, Customs Department, Anti-Narcotics Unit, and the Police K-9 Unit began a meticulous search. Executive Chairman of Belize Port Authority says one container was listed as carrying assorted goods, while the other was believed to be containing parts and machinery.

 

Ian Courtney, Executive Chairman, Port of Belize Limited

“Yesterday morning the police and customs requested our assistance, and they had an investigation and wanted to conduct an operation on the port premises. They were interested in some cargo containers that were arriving that morning on a ship. So they came into the property, went to the pier head, they identified the containers that they wanted or that they had interest in. And once those containers were reached in the offloading process those containers were isolated and taken to the Queens Bond warehouse I guess to be opened and searched.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Do we have any updates following those containers being searched?”

 

Ian Courtney

“I have no idea. I know that they’re still in the process of meticulously going through it because their bonded, the Queen Bond warehouse is still closed. But I don’t know if they’ve found anything or what they’re looking for, anything like that, no.”

 

Britney Gordon

“As for these containers, where were they coming from, and do we know what they were intended to contain?”

 

Ian Courtney

“As far as we know the containers were coming from the United States. And what is in the- actually in the containers, I don’t know. The containers I know, one is loose goods just assorted goods. The other one was, is supposed to be parts and machinery. But in terms of where they were intended to go and so on I wouldn’t have that information.”

 

Courtney said the Port of Belize is fully cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation and confirmed there was no indication the containers had been tampered with, noting they remained sealed from the time they arrived until they were handed over to authorities.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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