Guatemalan security forces in Melchor de Mencos intercepted a major shipment of contraband cigarettes over the weekend and it likely originated from Belize.
Officers from Guatemala's division of border security, DIPAFRONT, made the discovery along the banks of a river in the El Arrollito neighborhood of Melchor, a known transit area immediately adjacent to the Belize border. The abandoned cargo consisted of 180,000 individual cigarettes with an estimated street value of 180,000 Quetzales, equivalent to roughly 46,000 Belize Dollars.
According to authorities in Petén, the suspected smugglers spotted the approaching police units and fled the scene, abandoning the stacked boxes of contraband in the brush near the riverbank.
The seized cargo features prominent Chinese-manufactured brands, including "G.L. Supremo," "Elephant," and "Richman." These specific brands are highly sought-after on the regional black market due to their low cost and high profit margins.
We note that Chinese cigarettes are smuggled out of the Benque Viejo Free Zone in high volumes almost daily.
