by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Feb. 14, 2023

Zhi Jun Huang, a businessman of Chinese nationality, returned on Tuesday, February 14, to court, where he was charged for drug offenses for the third time after two grams of cocaine and a crack pipe were found during a search of his home.

Huang and his girlfriend, Jin Lian Zhang, were charged with possession of two grams of cocaine, while Huang was also charged with drug trafficking and possession of a pipe for smoking.

When Huang and Zhang appeared in court, he pleaded guilty to owning the drugs and the smoking pipe. However, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of drug trafficking, since he insisted that he does not sell drugs.

After pleading guilty for the two offenses, Huang begged the court for leniency and not to be imprisoned.

As a result of his plea, he was given a fine of $2,500.

As mentioned earlier, this is the third time that Huang has been charged in a courtroom in Belize for drug-related offenses. In October 2022, he was found with 6.4 grams of crystal meth while at the Queen Street Police Station signing for another pending drug charge. Earlier that year, in July 2022, his store on Douglas Jones Street was raided by police, and several illegal items were found—including cannabis, cocaine, crystal meth, and ammunition.

After being charged for those two previous offenses, Huang was offered bail, which he met, and he has yet to stand trial for any of the charges.