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Posted By: Marty Mayor Caught Up In a Contraband Moment - 12/11/12 02:05 PM
On Friday Belize City Mayor, along with three councilors and senior staffers from City Hall went to Chetumal on a sort of mini excursion.

They travelled in four vehicles and they went to buy items for their staff luncheon on Friday.

On the way back, they got authority from Customs to shop in the Corozal Free Zone as well - with the only strict directive being that they could not purchase beers or soft drinks.

But when the convoy of vehicles arrived at the border - Customs officers searched and found 14 cases of beer, that's 10 cases of Old Milwaukee and four cases of Heineken.

We are told by reliable sources that those cases were not in the Mayor's vehicle or in the Deputy Mayor's - but spread across the other two vehicles in the convoy.

The beers were surrendered and handed over to customs, which has them in custody now. The mayor did not return our text message request for a comment, but we did speak to his father who was in the convoy and is a City Council Employee. He went on a tirade and told us that we can report anything we like.

But the Mayor wasn't the only elected official caught up in a contraband moment this weekend.

We are reliably informed that PUP Orange Walk South Area Representative Jose Mai was caught with contraband beer this weekend. Only thing for him, he was not in a convoy - so does not have the luxury of plausible deniability - and he was not at the border, he was caught at a checkpoint.

Mai was caught at a Chan Chen cutoff - not far from the border - with 15 cases of Miller Beer. Customs took the items into custody but have not charged him because he is an elected representative. They have asked him to come in and speak to them about the confiscated items. We could not reach Mai for comment.

For context we should note that it is a long established practice that at Christmas time, elected officials or their representatives travel to the Free Zone to stock up on items for Christmas Parties and other gifts for constituents.

Channel 7

Old Milwaukee and Miller beer??? I can understand the Heineken...
Posted By: elbert Re: Mayor Caught Up In a Contraband Moment - 12/12/12 02:14 PM
"For context we should note that it is a long established practice that at Christmas time"
Its an old Mayan Tradition :-)
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