At about $30 a pound, lobster is a lucrative business now that the season is open, and that's exactly why one Dangriga man is fuming because, according to him, the police stole his lobster.
About two weeks ago, Jamie Coote was detained for 48 hours but when he was released, he says the police never gave him back the hundreds of pounds of lobster he had on him. And on top of that, the Coast Guard confiscated his boat.
Now, Coote - whose brother was recently killed in June - is angry that he can't get back to work, and, he added, this isn't the first time he's been harassed by the police.
Here's what he told us today:
Jamie Coote, Claims Police Harassment
"I was right there on the island when Coast Guard and the fisheries came. I see them, I take off because sea now have no eye, so I went to my brother and my pa and I told them, because all of us were working together building traps. We invest lot of money into trap, everything is for me, not my brother but I sent my brother on the media because I'm tired of police harassment. My brother went for my product back and they arrest him. I'm not into that, I'm tired of that. Anytime I do to sea, I can't even walk the street because police will harass me. They lock me down for a 48 the other day, the lock me down for a 48 and release and want tell when they meet me, they want kidnap me and beat up me."
"They took my lobster, where is my lobster? It's not my brother that owns the lobster, it's me, but I didn't want to claim it long time because I don't want harassment but I'm tired, I'm fed up, I want my lobster now. Just like you can go for me at my house, I want my lobster, I want my phone, I want back my chainsaw. I buy so much boxes of nail, 200 and add dollars, I got everything on the island, if you see nail and pimento and thing on the island, why would you think it's for criminals? Criminals don't build shade, criminals don't dive lobster. Talk about gang, charge man for gang, yes if I have seven man, you could say it's a gang but we go underwater and gang up the lobster and the conchs them, I just want back my things."
"I lost about $9,000 right there. My product alone they got, and I clear my expense cause I have to come in, have to come in. I spend almost $3,000 - $2,700 - and my brother still had to put a little more money on top of it and the $500 that's missing in case we run out of anything at Caye, we go on the island and buy. Where is my phone, where is my chainsaw? What does anything have to do with a chainsaw? What anything have to do with a gas? They threw away my fresh water, I want my lobster."
Courtney Menzies:
"And did police say why they held you for the 48 hours?"
Jamie Coote, Claims Police Harassment
"They said something about some charge with some stabbing incident, I don't have anything to do with no stabbing incident. Police don't investigate, police intimidate. I just want back my lobster, I tired of every time I go for a 48, my brother 48, every time we give away a 48 we lose money. Then they set up Coast Guard, they same police that stole my lobster took away my boat. I want my boat back from Coast Guard too, my boat name Jamira, Coast Guard got my boat, Jamira, I want my boat Jamira."
Coote's attorney, Norman Rodriguez, explained that he is investigating the incident and has advised his client to report the matter to the Professional Standards Branch.
