Belize City police have made no arrests and have not found any of the cough medicine that was stolen from a truck transporting the cargo to the Guatemalan border. But here’s what we do know.
The truck’s driver twenty six year old Jermaine Galvez told police that around seven on July twenty third his truck a six wheeler was chartered by Minor Castellanos to take 260 boxes of cough medicine from Belize City to the Belize Western Border. Galvez picked up half the boxes at the business of a local importer and the other half at the Customs Department. He headed west with his son, Jaret Galvez, the sideman and a Custom’s guard.
At mile forty two, a Nissan Pathfinder cut him off and forced him to stop. A green car then pulled up beside him; one of the occupants took out a hand gun and pointed it at him and ordered him to park. They were ordered into the Pathfinder while one of the jackers got into the truck and headed towards Belize City.
Galvez, his son and the customs guard were then taken to the Gracie Rock Road where they were abandoned. They managed to walk out and made their way into Belize City where they reported the theft to the police. Two days later the truck was discovered abandoned on a road in the Camp Oakley area in Burrell boom Village. Since the incident, the police have interviewed a number of individuals who have since been released.
The incident has raised a number of concerns because the cough syrup reportedly contains pseudo-ephredine the drug that through a recent SI is prohibited from being imported into the country. And because of that the cargo should not have been released from Customs. Custom officials have since reported that the custom officer who released the supplies should have known better but he did not follow proper standard procedure. That officer was also interviewed by police for any possible involvement but we understand has since been released. whether he will be charged internally is another question. So far no one has been charged in connection with this incident.
