BELIZE CITY, Tues. May 7, 2024
Tonight, a Kings Park businessman is on remand at the Belize Central Prison pending bail at the High Court after he was accused of being in possession of his licensed firearm whilst under the influence of alcohol, as well as allegedly failing to provide police with a blood specimen when he was asked to do so after being arrested.
The businessman, 31-year-old Omar Angel Avelar, owner of Good Care Pharmacy, was read charges for failing to provide a specimen, and possession of a firearm whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to wit, a pistol with a magazine containing 18 live rounds of Aguilar brand ammunition.
Avelar was unrepresented in court, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The sitting Senior Magistrate of Court #6 explained to Avelar that due to the nature of the gun possession offense, under Section 16 of the Crimes Control Criminal & Justice Act, she would not be able to offer him bail; but she noted that he would be at liberty to apply for bail at the High Court.
On Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 12:10 a.m., police corporal Albert Martinez along with police officer Pollard were conducting a vehicular checkpoint on New Road in Belize City when PC Martinez’s attention was drawn to a gold Ford Expedition with license plate #-71705.
The SUV approached the checkpoint with only one headlight working, and so PC Martinez immediately stopped the vehicle and saw a man behind the wheel whose identity was later learnt to be Omar Avelar, and he was in the company of another male who sat in the passenger seat of his vehicle.
According to PC Martinez, that’s when he informed Avelar, the driver, that he had a defective headlight.
PC Martinez then asked the driver for his driver’s license, but the driver replied that he did not have it on his person.
According to PC Martinez, while he spoke with Avelar, he smelled the strong aroma of alcohol on his breath, and so he instructed him to park off the side of the road and turn off his engine and exit the vehicle, which he did.
PC Martinez then conducted a search of the vehicle, which led to the discovery of a 9 mm handgun on the right side of Avelar’s waist, and he was told of the offense committed, and was escorted to the Queen Street Police Station with the firearm.
At the Queen Street Police Station, the firearm was secured and labeled as an Exhibit with the 18 rounds of ammunition.
Police then escorted Avelar to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), where he was asked to provide a blood specimen, which he refused to do, said police.