Cayo Police have seized a late model Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and arrested the driver for illegal entry. He is 41-year-old Guatemalan National Jose Mario Escobar Torres.
He was arrested on Tuesday while attempting to cross the Mopan River in a spanking new 2005 Prado. When Torres was intercepted, he told the cops that he was heading to Belmopan but didn't want to use the legal route so he chose to drive across the river. He has been charged with illegal entry and evading Customs duties for not declaring his new ride.
He appeared in Magistrate's Court and was fined $2,500 for the illegal entry. A Magistrate is still calculating how much Torres will be made to pay for evading duty on the Prado which is worth $128,000. The vehicle is sitting in Belmopan and Torres is still sitting in a jail cell. Police are investigating to see if the vehicle was stolen.
It is believed that a large number of stolen late model Mitsubishi and Toyota third world edition vehicles enter Belize illegally from Guatemala.
