Email

Print

Jules Vasquez reporting
They may look like they're loading up for a contraband party. But this is actually a customs operation.

All this stuff was loaded up at the customs warehouse in Orange Walk for transfer to the agriculture compound in Yo Creek where 548 canned and bottled beers were crunched by a back hoe which almost got bogged in the runoff from the 860 cases of bottled beers.

There was also a total of 86 sacks of flour that got destroyed. While 738 cartons and 3 cases of cigarettes went up in smoke. Throw in another 140 cases and 356 bottles of soft drinks, all laid to waste, 200 thousand dollars' worth of contraband one fifth of a million - all laid to waste in an "empire of dirt".

Abimael Sanchez - Customs enforcement Unit
"What we're doing today is destroying items that the customs department enforcement unit from both Orange Walk and Corozal have intercepted between basically since July of last year to December of this year. This represents a small amount of what is actually coming in. The year is huge, resources are limited, but it's still something that the department is doing on a daily basis."

Reporter
"Is it fair to say however that with the introduction of a new syntax last year that it has only served to spike the flow of contraband items through the northern portion of the country, seeing as though we are looking at cigarettes, we are looking at alcohol and soft drinks?"

Abimael Sanchez - Customs enforcement Unit
"That would be a fair comment. Yes, people will tend to smuggle items that the duties are higher. so it is possible that, that is what is causing so much beers to come in and cigarettes like you mentioned."

Reporter
"Which specific area of Mexico are these products coming in from?"

Abimael Sanchez - Customs enforcement Unit
"Yo Creek is just the village that we are in right now, but its farther north than the actual village services. This area is Botes, we have San Victor, opposite and those are the areas these items originate from, Mexican items."

Reporter
"We are not seeing high level whiskeys or any of those pricier items. Is there a reason why? Or have those not been confiscated?"

Abimael Sanchez - Customs enforcement Unit
"Whiskey or liquor or stuff like that, we don't have any luck intercepting. Those items will mostly be on the highways. Especially for the December operation we spend most of the time in the back areas in this hot spot areas. I guess that is why we didn't have any interception of liquor and items that you mentioned."

Customs usually donates perishable items such as vegetables and flour - but in this case the flour you saw in the video was contaminated.

Customs estimate that what they intercept is about 10 to 15% of what is passing through the north. Customs also confiscated over 12 canoes & about 7 outdoor engines - but no decision has been made on what to do with this.