We're used to hearing of daring robberies on land, but tonight the story is of ruthless pirates on the high seas who cleaned out a group of Sarteneja fishermen.
On Tuesday afternoon, Juan Tepaz a 33-year-old Sarteneja fisherman and 7 crewmen, were fishing near Alligator Caye, about 35 miles from Belize City in his sailboat "gineldy". They were full with lobster, fish and conch when a black boat, with six masked men on board pulled up. Tepaz told police that one of the masked men pulled out a gun and fired a hot in the air, then ordered him and his crew to jump into the water. They complied, and the masked men then boarded the "gineldy" and gathered up 190 pounds of lobster, 250 pounds of conch, 100 pounds of fish, $370 in cash, a cellular phone and for good measure, 32 gallons of gasoline. And if that wasn't enough, they then tied a rope to the gineldy and towed her away, leaving the fishermen to marinate in the sea. Tapez and his crew were later rescued by a passing boat. All this happened the day after police inaugurated a command communications center at Alligator Caye. Since the report, neither the boat, nor the cargo have been found.