Earlier in this week we told you how police had intercepted a human smuggling move outside of Sandhill.
And today the man caught smuggling 6 immigrants from Cayo to Belize pleaded guilty to facilitating the commission of an offense, that is, transporting immigrant nationals, 4 Nicaraguans, 2 Guatemalans.
He is Luis Alfonzo Guevarra, a Belizean market vendor of Belmopan.
He was arraigned before Magistrate, Kara Walters in Court #3 to whom he pleaded guilty with an explanation and told the court, quote, "I didn't know they neva had papers." He then explained that one of the defendanrs, Roxanna is his wife and that she lives with him. According to Guevarra, he was at the market after selling his vegetables when 3 of the men approacched him first and asked him for a lift to go to Orange Walk. He agreed and that's when they offered him $50 for gas to get to their destination. According to Guevarra, he never asked them for any money.
Magistrate Walters accepted his guilty plea and fined him $1,000 dollars which he was ordered to pay by September 30, 2022, in default 6 months in jail.
His wife Roxanna Lopez Mendez said that while she is a Guatemalan, she has been in Belize seeking asylum.
But according to the Immigration Department, the government does not grant Asylum to Guatemalans.
But she was told she can apply for residency because she is the wife of a Belizean. So no removal order was sought against her.
