Confiscated Liquor Returned, Customs Department Silent

The Customs Department continues to be uncooperative with our newsroom when it comes to cases involving uncustomed goods.  Today, the hundreds of cases of liquor that were confiscated at the Victor L Bryant warehouse on Chetumal Boulevard were returned today.  In March this year, a raid was conducted at the business place under the suspicion that the bottles of alcohol bore fraudulent labels purportedly from the Supplies Control Unit.  Today, we reached out to the Comptroller of Customs on multiple occasions but our calls and text messages were ignored.  Love News was called out to the warehouse this morning where we observed the Director of Supplies Control Unit, Lennox Nicholson, on the compound supervising the unloading of goods. It is anybody’s guess tonight as to why the liquor was returned, what were the findings in the investigation, and if duties were paid on the liquor.  Last Friday, when we asked Prime Minister John Briceno, who holds the responsibility for the Customs Department, about the bust, he didn’t seem too eager to discuss the matter and referred us to the Customs Department.

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Sir, is there any update on the bust of uncustomed goods that happened at the Victor L Bryant warehouse? 

Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “You’ll have to talk with the comptroller of customs.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Have you been briefed on the situation sir to find out how that could have happened? 

Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “I have been briefed about the bust but I do not ask for the details. It’s something the custom department needs to deal with.”

Best information tonight is that a well-connected person in the north had paid the duties on the rum.