The store - reportedly bought it, but Midwest Steel in Spanish lookout says the steel was fraudulently purchased from their company using a bogus check.

It was a big check, 68,388 dollars and 75 cents received from an individual who says he was working for BWS and who had a Belize Bank checque. We have his name but cannot release it - as he is only a suspect.

He bought it on Saturday, November third in two thousand lengths of 3/8 inch steel, one thousand lengths of half inch steel, and two thousand lengths of quarter inch steel.

Corozal Police have spoken to the truck driver who took them to Old College Road in Corozal where he parked the steel. He claims he was hired by the person who bought the items with the bad checques.

And then this same person - who is being sought by police - bought 250 sheets of plywood from Caribbean Tyre. He did this on Friday November second and when he bought 100 sheets with a Scotiabank Checque for six thousand and twenty four dollars. And then on Saturday, he was back at Caribbean Tyre with another Scotia Bank checque, this one for nine thousand four hundred and sixty six dollars with which he purchased another 150 sheets of plywood.

The checques numbered 53 and 60 were written from account number 94868 - but when Caribbean Tyre tried to deposit the checque they were told that no such account exists. Now, all this stuff - the 250 sheets of plywood and the five thousand lengths of steel were reportedly sold to the Corozal Hardware store - for twenty thousand dollars - which is about one quarter its actual retail value. The storeowner partially paid for the goods in a checque - which was cashed on Monday.

Police removed 47 sheets of plywood from the hardware store's warehouse in Ranchito last night. But, according to our source, Corozal police are not having such an easy time moving the steel. For some reason, a directive has come from higher up's to leave the steel - which is the subject of a criminal investigation - in Corozal on College Road - unsecured in front of a private business. And that's where it is tonight - in the open air - with no police guard or anything.

Although, after we started nosing around this evening - late breaking news is that CIB officer from Corozal are there at this hour - as is the attorney for the store-owner.

We'll have more on that tomorrow.