Immigration Offenders Fined and Ordered for Deportation Following Illegal Entry Charges

Six people, four foreigners, and two Belizeans were all fined in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court today for immigration offenses. Three of the foreigners were from Azerbaijan which is near Iran, and the fourth was from Brazil. The men entered the country yesterday via the banks of the Mopan River at Benque Viejo and were charged with illegal entry. They all pleaded guilty to the charge and were fined a thousand dollars each. If they cannot pay their fines they will spend six months in prison. The court also granted an order of removal for the men to be deported once their fines were settled. Meanwhile, the Belizeans, Santa Elena resident Jasmine Margaret Espat, and her common-law husband Samuel Peters were charged with facilitating the commission of a crime. They pleaded guilty and explained to the magistrate that they were going through financial difficulties. They said that the men approached them and offered them five hundred dollars to assist them. They were both fined a thousand and five dollars each; however, Espat was told to make her payment forthwith. She was unable to do so and was remanded to prison until while Peters makes arrangements for their fines to be paid.