Chinese Businessman Jian Jiang was last night's headline – he got fined one hundred and fifty grand for an un-customed Mitsubishi SUV. As we told you, the Mitsubishi Montero he bought in 2011 had cloned the VIN number from another vehicle - one that had been legitimately licensed to a man who died in an accident. More than that, after being cloned to that vehicle's identity, Jiang's SUV had been momentarily registered in the name of Charles Solis – a city resident who had died many years earlier.
IT is a scam orchestrated by what we called stealer-dealers, car dealers who smuggle stolen vehicles in from Guatemala and then legitimize them through corrupt means at the City traffic Department. IT's a practice that was prevalent about 6 years ago – which is when we first reported on the dimensions of the scam. Here's our report from 6 years ago.:..
Jules Vasquez Reporting
Last night 7News broke the story detailing how stolen vehicles are fraudulently licensed at the City's Traffic Department. The vehicles are mostly stolen from Guatemala and then smuggled into Belize. The dealers then have to license these vehicles that did not enter the country legally and did not pay duty. That's when they turn to the City Traffic Department.
But there are a number of ways of doing this and one of the more exotic involves cloning an existing vehicle that was purchased legally and legitimately licensed. The stealer-dealers then commence a cloning process. Manager of the Traffic Department, and the man who blew the whistle on the illicit goings-on, Kevon Jenkins explained.
Kevon Jenkins, Manager, Traffic Department
"They are going around the country checking vehicles, and I mean nice vehicles, 2008-2009 vehicles, top-of-the-line vehicles. If the vehicle was licensed, like they have right now, in Dangriga, in Belize Bank name, Dangriga Branch. It's a Toyota HiLux pick-up truck for Dangriga Belize Bank Branch, and that said vehicle is also licensed here with me in a next name."
Jules Vasquez, Reporting
"Wait. You mean, not that said vehicle, but a cloned vehicle?"
Kevon Jenkins, Manager, Traffic Department
(Nods.) "A cloned vehicle."
Jules Vasquez,
"A cloned vehicle. Identical in every regard -- year, color, make and VIN number as well? So someone goes around, scopes out these vehicles and creates a clone?"
Kevon Jenkins, Manager, Traffic Department
"Yes."
Jules Vasquez,
"Which is then illegally licensed here?
Kevon Jenkins, Manager, Traffic Department
"Through my department."
The Belize Bank Dangriga Branch, in this case, sent this letter clarifying that they own the vehicle and it is duly registered and licensed in Dangriga. But someone illegally accessed all the particulars from the records there, right down to the customs entry and then created an identical vehicle profile for licensing in Belize City. In this case, it was registered in the name of Charles Solis, Sr. on 14th October 2009 – a man who passed away years earlier. But they also have his drivers' license number cited as the valid ID.
Kevon Jenkins, Manager, Traffic Department
"Yes, the man is dead. And the officer is saying that he witnessed this dead man either coming into the Traffic Department and sign that transfer or probably he went to the cemetery to witness that transfer signed. Either way, he is saying that he witnessed it."
And just to keep the waters muddy, 10 days later a transfer was effected from the deceased Charles Solis to another man.
Again, that was in 2010, and since then the trafficking in stolen vehicles has somewhat decreased.
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