Tonight, Guatemalans Georgina Maribel Mendez Aldana, her common-law husband Honduran, Hugo Salas, and their associate, Cesar Gerardo Ramirez are in jail. They couldn't pay substantial fines incurred for pleading guilty to a slew of fisheries offences.
One week ago, they were busted with 7,033 sea cucumbers, weighing 3 thousand pounds, which were destined for illegal export from Belize. Aldana and her crew were expected back in court last week Friday, but it seems that her charges had to be amended before they were finally arraigned.
They were read charges of engaging in commercial fishing without a fisherman's license before Magistrate Leslie Hamilton today. They all pleaded guilty, and were sentenced to pay a fine of $500 each. The other 2 charges of engaging in fishing for Sea Cucumbers and attempting to export fisheries without a valid exporter's license were both withdrawn.
Aldana, who is believed to be the "queen pin" in the sea cucumber operation, was additionally charged with possession of a false document - specifically a sea cucumber exporters' license, to which she pleaded guilty. It's a serious offence, forging an official document, and she was sentenced to pay a fine of $6,000 forthwith, which she was not able to do.
Actually, none of them were able to meet their fines, so they were all remanded to prison.
As we reported, around 4 a.m. last week Monday, police stopped a black GMC pick-up truck at mile 31 on George Price Highway. They found 7,033 Sea Cucumbers in the pan of the vehicle. The occupants of the vehicle were Aldana, Salas, Ramirez and Logan.
With regard to the forged document, Aldana's bogus 2014 license was apparently a forgery of Linaro Samos's 2013 permit. The license number was tampered with to make it look like a valid license.
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