Auto Dealer Remanded After Guilty Plea in Drug and Firearm Case

A 34-year-old auto dealer has been fined and remanded to prison after pleading guilty to drug and firearm-related offenses in the Dangriga Magistrate’s Court. Albert Barrington Cassasola appeared before Senior Magistrate Mannon Dennison on Tuesday, July 7, where he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply and possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Cassasola was fined five thousand dollars, plus five dollars in court costs, after police found him with 258.47 grams of cannabis. He was given until October 31, 2026, to pay the fine, and in default, he will serve one year in prison. He was also remanded to the Belize Central Prison pending sentencing for the firearm offense, which is scheduled for September 15, 2026. The charges stem from a July 6 incident along the Hummingbird Highway, where police responded to reports of shots being fired and later found Cassasola with an Army Green Canik Mete MC9 firearm and cannabis. Cassasola remains in custody pending his next court appearance.