Police moved fast to recover a Toyota Hilux after it was stolen from the FFB in Belmopan on Saturday morning.
It happened early in the morning before 3:00am - when they tied up the security guard. He didn't get free until almost an hour later - but police took only 20 minutes to intercept the stolen vehicle and the driver near Calla Creek - a border village.
Police told us more:
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"The investigation commenced on Saturday 25 April 2026 at around 3:40am when officers in Belmopan were advised of the theft of a white Toyota Hilux being the property of the football federation of Belize. The security guard reported that he was inside the booth at around that time when he was awakened by 2 masked male persons forcing their way into the booth. Upon making their entry into the booth they are reported to have restrained the male person being the security guard and took a key belonging to the hilux and eventually drive off with it. Upon learning of this information, the standard operating procedures were put into place because we are aware that when vehicles are stolen they are done with a view to taking them across the border in Guatemala so all of the policing efforts in the Western region as well as the operational units were mobilized at strategic locations. This proved favorable as the vehicle was spotted along Santa Rosa road sometime around 3:55am and it was pursued and that pursuit concluded near Calla Creek bridge. Police have since detained one male person and are seeking two others as a part of this ongoing investigation."
"There was no assistance of the tracker, it was because of policing work in terms of placing them at strategic checkpoints, strategic locations."
Reporter
"How many persons were inside of the vehicle at the time?"
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"No one was found inside of the vehicle however one person was detained in the immediate vicinity of the and it is a continuing investigation. We have extracted a number of video footages that we believe will aid us in bringing this investigation to a conclusion."
Reporter
"Would you be able to say if it was like an inside job?"
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"As I said it's an ongoing investigation, as more information is obtained and it becomes necessary to be disclosed, it will be disclosed."
