By Belize Live News Staff: A pickup truck was stopped along the Hattieville-Boom Road early Thursday morning after a brief pursuit, and what was inside has landed two men before the courts.
Fisheries officers, working with police, found 290 pounds of tilapia fillets, 335 pounds of jumbo shrimp and 14 octopus, all suspected to have been illegally imported into Belize.
That is more than 600 pounds of seafood in one vehicle.
The truck and the product were seized. Two men were detained and charged with offences relating to illegal importation, and appear at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court today.
The Fisheries Department is making two points about why this matters.
The first is health. Seafood entering the country outside the permit system has not been inspected, which creates food safety and phytosanitary risks for whoever eats it.
The second is fairness. Belizean fishers and legitimate importers who follow the rules and pay the costs are competing against product that skipped all of it.
The Department is asking the public to report suspected illegal fishing activity.
Would you know where your fish came from?
