Guatemalan Authorities Seize Contraband Cigarette Shipment Believed Destined for Belize

Guatemalan authorities have intercepted a large shipment of contraband cigarettes believed to have been destined for Belize.  Reports from Melchor de Mencos indicate that police discovered the illicit cargo after the occupants of a vehicle fled upon noticing law enforcement presence in the border zone. The suspects abandoned the vehicle, leaving behind dozens of boxes of cigarettes.  Authorities say the seizure totaled approximately four hundred and fifty thousand sticks contained in forty-five boxes of the brands Modern, Time and Marshal. The shipment has an estimated value of about sixty thousand Belize dollars.  The cigarettes were confiscated by Guatemalan police, who believe the load was heading across the border into Belize.  Investigations are ongoing as officials work to identify those responsible for the smuggling attempt.