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And while that sounds distinctly like an invitation to fall in or step out, Vidal can speak plainly because gang violence is not currently spiking in the city.  But the City’s gang rivalries may be playing out in San Pedro.  12 days ago we saw the murder of 16 year old Julian Tun on San Pedro.  He is believed to have been targeted for the attempt to carry out a hit on a prominent gang figure one year ago.  

Now, following up on that, yesterday afternoon, island police arrested a Belize City southsider who they believe may have gone out to San Pedro on a mission of retaliation.  Acting on information received from San Pedranos, police searched a San Mateo house yesterday and found this .45 Colt brand pistol with seven live rounds and a magazine stashed under a mattress.  It’s a prohibited firearm and Police arrested everybody who was in the house, including 42-year-old Maria Elena Paguada, 18-year-old Tony Montana Mcdonald, along with two minors aged 17 and 13.

Today they were taken to court, and McDonald pleaded guilty to firearm possession.  He was sentenced to three years in jail.  With that, the magistrate withdrew the charges against the others.  Police believe that in many of these cases, young females are used as mules to carry weapons such as this one.  McDonald had been on the island for a few days - and police had intelligence suggesting that he may have been there to follow up on Tun’s murder.