In the United States, Latin illegals call it “La Migra” – and when that warning is shouted out, entire neighborhoods run for cover. Well in Belize, it’s Customs and the illegal thing is contraband. It’s a way of life, but with the Customs Department cracking down on contrabandidos in the north, that way of life is under attack. But now it’s the Customs Department that’s under fire after a bus ran over a woman’s feet on Saturday. The woman is Elsa Medina from San Estevan Village. She may lose one of her legs, but the residents in San Estevan Village aren’t blaming the bus driver, they are pointing fingers at the Customs Department. You’ll find out why in this story produced with the help of our affiliates at the Northern Cable Network.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This bag of grapes now crushed under the wheels of this bus is the bag Elsa Medina was carrying on Saturday afternoon. The bag of grapes along with medina’s feet were crushed when she jumped out of the bus before it parked. Eyewitnesses say she was trying to elude customs officers – because the bag of grapes was contraband.
Eyewitness #1,
“I was parked on the other side and I saw the Customs following the bus. The bus parked and the lady jumped out running away from Customs that's when the bus knocked her down. She shouted Customs and she jumped off the bus and the bus had not come to a stop. She slipped and fell down. They ran over her two feet.”
Imari Torres, Eyewitness
“The lady was trying to run away from the Customs. After that she was running, she threw away her self.
The wheel of the bus, it went in her legs and we just heard the noise like when you put a plastic bag of water and then the wheel just passed and we heard the noise like when she broke her bones, crushed her bones. I think the driver don’t have the fault. The driver don’t have the fault, it is the people, the Customs because I blame everything on the Customs – they have the fault."
They blame the Customs Department because they say this isn’t the first time medina has been chased by Customs officers. In fact that they all have been similarly chased down. They say they know that bringing contraband across the border is wrong but it’s the only way they can survive.
Imari Torres,
“I know that the Customs need to do their jobs but they are harassing the people. Every minute they are coming, they are watching that bus - Alamilla. Why don’t they go in the streets like in Belize.”
Eyewitness #1,
“People know that the Customs take away stuff from them, even little bags so they jump out of the bus. They jump off and run into the bushes but the Customs follow them and take away their stuff. This is not the first time that this young lady does this. Yesterday she was pushed off the bus in San Antonio.”
Eyewitness #2,
“There is a young man that they are always beating because of a single bag of tomatoes. This young lady was only bringing a little bag of grapes and a little apples, but she had to run because when the catch you they charge you two or three thousand dollars now she is at the hospital.”
Jesusita Morales,
“People bring these things in because we have children and there are no jobs.”
Imari Torres,
“Please I am asking you people that are watching. Please, all politicians please do something for our people. They are suffering very hard. We are suffering very hard.”
Elsa Medina is at a hospital in Chetumal and she is asking for blood to be donated. And while her family isn’t blaming the bus driver, Orange Walk Police are. Police say the driver Elmer Castillo will be charged on Friday with driving without due care and attention and negligent grievous harm.
Customs enforcement officer Miguel Uk told us this evening that Elsa Medina is a repeat smuggler but he says she had no reason to jump off the bus. He says that they were going to conduct a routine search and if she and only a bag of grapes, she would been allowed to keep it. We also spoke to Comptroller of Customs Gregory Gibson and he says that his officers target and search buses for commercial type imports.
