The Northern Border in Santa Elena is a hotspot for the illegal importation of cheap fuel from Mexico. Traffickers would normally go into Mexico with their tanks on "e," fill up their gas tanks, unload it in Belize, and return to repeat the process. But the practice has Customs Officials working double duty to make sure that vehicles aren't making too many gas runs into Mexico. That's the background for the following story which is about a crew from CTV-3 in Orange Walk Town. Here's what happened to Daniel Cawich as he got footage of a functionary of border authorities checking a vehicle's gas tank.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
On Saturday afternoon Orange Walk's CTV 3's cameraman Daniel Cawich along with his assistant Omar Sabido were returning to Corozal after an assignment at the Corozal Free Zone. This is what he found at the border: a border officer, apparently
affiliated with the Customs Department, placing a hose inside a vehicle's gas tank. At the time Cawich believed it would have been interesting for his newscast and so he started rolling.
Daniel Cawich - Cameraman, CTV3
"That's my job, I video. I work for the news, I work for a newscast so if I see something fishy going around I always try to take footage, try to get footage and when reporters read the news we show footage. So that is why I took that footage."
His actions however attracted the ire of at least one customs officer, senior officer Earl Miller who took it upon himself to roughly escort Cawich off the premises.
Earl Miller to Cawich: I want you inside...you feel like I di play with you or what. Go inside...let's go inside...you understand what I am telling you...let's go inside...inside now...call however you want to call...let's go inside...boy u want me to stick fu you rass in here...u want me to stick you out ya...
See the Video of Daniel Cawich's Altercation with the Customs Officers: On Demand.
They "chilled out" in the cell for at least 45 minutes.
Daniel Cawich,
"I started to video and a next Customs (Officer) came out of the building and he indicated to leave the premises so I did. I was trying to leave the premise when he was the one that started to harass and push me around. And then some other Customs (Officers) came to his aid and they were standing around me. And then this three-striped Customs Officer pushed me. I bounced into one of them that was behind me and accidentally I touched with my hand while holding the camera. I was holding the camera, I was trying to hold it hard to prevent them from getting it, and my hand touched him and he said that I assaulted him.
I was locked up and I was escorted by Police to the Corozal Police Station and I was arrested there and charged for aggravated assault.
I think it is abuse from Customs. They are not doing their job the right way. If they didn't have anything to hide, they would have let me go and I would have shown the footage on what they were doing with the hose but then we would have called them and get the other side of the story. You know it, we are reporters, it is the same thing."
Daniel Cawich and Omar Sabido were each released on a $1,000 bail plus a surety in the same amount. They are to reappear in Corozal Magistrate's Court on September 1.
