By Belize Live News Staff: The discovery of a live M67 fragmentation grenade in Corozal Town has reignited serious concerns regarding the infiltration of heavy military weaponry by regional drug cartels and local criminal syndicates.
The high-explosive device was found on Friday, abandoned in a plastic bag near a tree on C Street. While the BDF bomb squad successfully removed the threat without incident, the origin of the weapon points to a deeper security crisis along Belize’s northern border.
BDF Commander Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez confirmed that the M67 is an American-made asset. While no suspects have been detained, military leadership is pointing the finger directly at organized crime.
“The assumption would be by cartels or by criminal elements, definitely local criminal elements as well,” Velasquez stated when pressed on how the explosive entered the country.
The northern districts of Belize have seen heightened surveillance recently due to increased cartel friction near the Mexican border. The presence of a live fragmentation grenade, a weapon frequently used by trafficking cartels for intimidation and warfare, suggests a dangerous upgrade in the arsenal available to local criminal networks.
The BDF and police intelligence are currently tracking smuggling pipelines to determine how the military-grade weapon bypassed border security.
