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In related news, less than 24 hours after the resignation of Agriculture Minister José Abelardo Mai, our newsroom received reports of suspicious activities inside the Corozal Free Zone. These range from illegal exports, illegal drug trades and contraband. One incident that stands out is a bust made by the Belize Coast Guard on October 12 where 400 boxes of cigarettes and other commodities were confiscated at the back gate of the Corozal Free Zone. Unconfirmed reports say there be some linkage between this incident and the November 5 attempted killing of Nitin Buxani. Interestingly, the operation was never reported to the media which Rear Admiral Elton Bennett of the Coast Guard says is not outside the norm.
RADM Elton Bennett, Belize Coast Guard Commandant: “So indeed, we did not put it out there in the news. It’s not a standard practice for the Coast Guard to put these operational, what you may call operational success, out on the news for different reasons. Most of the time these are ongoing continued operations. That’s one. And then the fact that we don’t prosecute, we would normally hand over these evidence to the relevant authority for them to compile and put that package together for the media if they choose. For this specific incident we had ongoing operations as a matter of fact we’re still very active in the area. So it’s not something that we make public on every occasion that we can for operational security purposes. The operation that you’re referring to occurs sometime around the 12th of October, where the Coast Guard patrol that was operating from Consejo was conducting patrols along the Rio Hondo River and conducting operations near the the perimeter of the Free Zone. That occurred well over a month ago and indeed our patrol came across some cargo that we confiscated just outside of the Free Zone compound. Those cargo included items such as cigarettes, watches, and some footwear.”
Reporter: Could you be specific in terms of how much cigarettes did you confiscate?
RADM Elton Bennett, Belize Coast Guard Commandant: “Yeah, so the report was that we had confiscated about 400 boxes of cigarettes and also a smaller quantity of watches and tennis shoes. We did not detain anyone. The personnel on the river bank spotted our patrol coming and they had abandoned the cargo and fled and that’s how the Coast Guard Patrol was able to go there and seize the product. Unfortunately we did not pursue the individual into the extent of wherever they disappear off to we were not able to detain anyone, only the cargo.”
Following the seizure, reports surfaced claiming that the Coast Guard’s presence along the perimeter fence of the Free Zone, particularly at Heaven’s Gate, was later restricted. However, the Commander firmly rejected this narrative, stating that BCG operations remain fully authorized and unhindered.
Reporter: Since you’ve been commanding the Coast Guard, have you ever gotten a directive or perhaps had political interference in doing your job or gotten directive to cease and desist operations in any area at all across the country?
RADM Elton Bennett, Belize Coast Guard Commandant: “Oh, absolutely not. The Coast Guard has never been directed not to conduct operations in any era. As a matter of fact, even after this this seizure of these what we determined to be contraband goods coming out of the free zone, there are no limits or no questions asked in terms of preventing us from patrolling in that era. We’re very active in that era, we’re very concerned about elicit activities and mainly cargo coming across to Belize in the form of drugs and firearms. So there are no limitations placed on the Belize Coast Guard in terms of where we can conduct operations. However, if these operations would extend to inland, well inland, then we would be required obviously to conduct those operations in a joint manner along with the relevant authority because of the land capability. So from our end operations are mainly along the river and the maritime areas and in the riverine areas that would extend to the banks of the rivers. In this case, in this specific operation that you had asked about the cargo that we had seized was on the banks of the river.”
To understand the security challenges surrounding the Free Zone, it’s important to note the geography of the area. The Four-Mile Lagoon forms a narrow waterway behind the Free Zone, running parallel to the northern border with Mexico. The area known as Heaven’s Gate sits mere yards from Mexican territory, creating an environment where both legal and illicit movement can occur quickly across the water. This close proximity has long made the zone a sensitive location for smuggling, cross-border trafficking, and unauthorized trade activity, factors that heighten the importance of Coast Guard and police patrols.
English (US) ·