7 News Belize

Guatemalan Convicted Of Firearm Offences
posted (September 28, 2012)
Tonight, 28 year-old Guatemalan Ismael Antonio Moran Enriquez, is spending the first night of a 3 year sentence after he was convicted of firearm offences in the Belmopan Magistrate's Court.

Viewers may remember that he is the man who was caught on May 9th, at the Benque Viejo border with a loaded .45 Colt pistol.

You may also remember that the Commissioner of Police, David Henderson was hesitant to have Moran charged. The story was that he was only trying to help a woman carry her bag across the border.

Well, after 7News blew the whistle, Enriquez was eventually charged with keeping a prohibited firearm and keeping prohibited ammunition.

And today he was convicted by Senior Magistrate Linsbert Willis. The prosecution, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl Lynn Vidal, presented the main evidence of a video recording which showed what happened when the customs personnel busted Enriquez with the firearm at the border building. It showed that he didn't deposit the firearm to the authorities or freely surrender it.

After the prosecution closed their case, Enriquez's attorney, Arthur Saldivar, called him to testify under oath. He admitted that he was caught with the weapon, but he added that the firearm belongs to his boss in Guatemala who gave him permission to use it. He also said that when he approached the border facility, he looked around for a police officer to deposit the firearm, and when he saw none, he decided to take it with him.

He also said that he didn't know that he had crossed into Belizean territory. Saldivar made a no case submission that the state charged Enriquez under the wrong section of the firearms act and that he shouldn't be held culpable because there was no police officer present at the time to accept the firearm.

After considering the entire case, Senior Magistrate Willis found that Enriquez was guilty of the offences, and as a result, Magistrate Willis sentenced him to 3 years in prison for the prohibited firearm charge and 3 years for the prohibited ammunition charge. Both sentences are to run concurrently which means that Enriquez will only spend 3 years.

Much to the dismay of his boss George Orellana the rather stylish, customized pistol was also confiscated and turned over to the government of Belize.

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