Today, masked, heavily armed police guarded the Belize City courthourse as 22 Year-old Mexican Zurisaday Villasenor Mendez was brought for trial. He's the one who was busted with a large weapons cache at the Las Vegas Hotel in the Corozal Free Zone. Police say that they found 7 guns, including AK-47's; 12 magazines; 144 bullets; several small quantities of marijuana; cocaine; and communication equipment.
Well, the matter has been before the Magistrate's Court for several months now, but can't move forward because Mendez's attorney, Arthur Saldivar has made a constitutional challenge against the sitting magistrate saying that she has deprived him of a fair trial due to her security of tenure. According to Saldivar, she is a contract officer, which causes her to be incapable of being independent and impartial.
Well, that constitutional challenge has brought the case to a grinding halt, but despite that, Mendez had to be brought back before the court today but not the court on Corozal, because it has been moved to Belize City.
The masked police officers created an air of tension but they didn't do much else, because Mendez had a brief hearing. The case can't move forward until the constitutional challenge is heard.
As a result, Mendez was remanded until September 13, when it is expected that the challenge will be heard and dealt with.
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