It's Christmas-time, which for many means contraband time, and that's why the Customs department enforcement unit launched its special operation on November 25th. And on Sunday evening, that meant responding to a report that two vehicles were moving out of Arenal in western Belize with contraband. Customs mobilized and intercepted one of the vehicles with 12 bottles of beer and 3 liters of soft drink. Two police officers were inside the vehicle, but a civilian, who was also in the car took responsibility for the items.
Customs had to work harder to catch the other vehicle. They actually had to set chase - and when they stopped the car, they found that an apparently inebriated police corporal was driving. During the chase he also grazed the customs pickup. And when they searched the vehicle, customs found out why he was running: the vehicle carried seven and a half cases of beer and 3 cases of soft drinks.
Still, the corporal got a break when a civilian in the vehicle took responsibility for the contraband items. Customs reached a settlement with the professed owners, and so the matter did not go to court. That is the standard approach, since customs sees it as a fiscal and not a criminal offence. That settlement usually involves a fine of three times the value and the goods are forfeited.
Customs would not comment on the case today because of the confidential nature of the out of court settlement, and the acting commissioner of police Miguel Segura seemed clueless:...
ACP Miguel Segura
"I was briefed about an incident over the weekend. Hopefully, I need to confirm it with customs and the media needs to confirm it with customs I will advise. In this case the police will normally get a report from the agency itself and if there is a violation of the police act, the disciplinary code, we will proceed also with that, there is no two ways about it. The zero tolerance that commissioner has in terms of the violation of the police act. We are being guided and supported in this operation by the customs, so they will also have to assist us in the proceedings if we are to proceed disciplinary."
Mike Rudon, Reporter Ch. 5
"Sir, could you tell us what this briefing has revealed? You've said basically nothing about what happened. What have you been briefed about?"
ACP Miguel Segura
"I was briefed that in respect a customs operations, three officers were intercepted with a substantial amount of contraband, but I may suggest that the media get the exact amount from customs who were on the operation themselves."
Mike Rudon, Reporter Ch. 5
"Sir, even if the matter is say settled out of court, these officers will still face disciplinary action?"
ACP Miguel Segura
"It's a prejudice to go undisciplined with is a violation under the Police Act."
ACP Segura told us that based on the information given to them by the Customs Department, the officers may be facing disciplinary charges.
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