7 News Belize

Rural Cops Catch Gun – But Police Brass Says “No Charge”
posted (February 6, 2015)
Yesterday Belize Rural police borrowed a boat to go downriver and check up on a marijuana plantation. At around noon, they went all the way up to Muscle Creek between Grace Bank, Burrell Boom and Flowers Bank Villages which led to the discovery of a camp. They didn't find any plantation, but they did see 33-year-old Evan Lincoln Moody from Ladyville Village. He was sleeping on a foam, and beneath it, police found 1 black .22 bolt action rifle, with (15) live rounds, and 1 black 16 gauge shotgun, with 7 cartridges. He also had a black plastic bag with 16.2grams of cannabis and another 64.7grams of cannabis seeds.

The police press office sent out the report today under the heading, "unlicensed firearm and ammunition." And so while the expectation was that he would be charged for those offences - it seems someone higher up intervened - and Moody was only charged for the marijuana. This is in spite of the fact that the charges had already been written up for the firearms. Turns out that the firearms are licensed but not to him - and he was unable to produce a license. We've also learned that his uncle reported one of the guns, the .22 missing some time ago. And so, even with these dubious circumstances, and still no license produced, no charge was brought for the weapons.

But, still, tonight, he is in jail - serving his first night of a 3 years sentence for drug trafficking. He appeared late this evening before the Magistrate in Court #3 where he was unrepresented and pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking for the 64.7 grams of cannabis seeds. He told the Magistrate Panton that while he did have the seeds, they were for repellent, not for planting. The Magistrate warns him prior to pleading guilty to drug trafficking what the penalty was and that he could be both fined and confined.

For the possession plea, he was fined $100 dollars, but for the trafficking fee he got hit with a 3 year sentence and a $10,000 fine.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize