Tonight, a couple from Orange Walk has been jointly arrested and charged for facilitating the illegal entry of a Guatemalan woman into Belize. This, after the woman, 25-year-old Yulmy Janeth Velasquez Mejia is alleged to have crossed the Mopan River in Benque Viejo Del Carmen, attempting to enter the country undetected.
And today when the defendants 32-year-old Adrian Munoz and 42-year-old Reyna Conny Gonzalez Urbina, and 25-year-old Yulmy Janeth Velasquez Mejia were arraigned in the court of Magistrate Khiana Gordon, they were jointly charged with facilitating the commission of an offence. The allegations against the couple are that Munoz drove a Nissan Xterra from Orange Walk to Belize City and transported three females including Mejia and a 17-year-old minor who is the step-daughter of a policeman. She has since been handed over to human services.
As for Munoz, Urbina, and Mejia, they pleaded guilty and agreed with the facts presented in court by the Immigration Prosecutor. For her part, Magistrate Gordon took into consideration that this was the first conviction for the couple and Mejia, and they had no prior criminal record. Additionally, they saved the court's time by not contesting the charges, leading to the imposition of non-custodial sentences.
Now, all three defendants have been ordered to pay a fine of $1,000 each, along with a $5.00 court fee, before October 31, 2023.
The vehicle used in the smuggling attempt is currently impounded at the Belize Ladyville Police Station, pending further investigation.
