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Cops grab Czechs with yacht stolen in Martinique

GeneralCops grab Czechs with yacht stolen in Martinique
It’s a long way from Martinique to Belize, but a boat from the French Eastern Caribbean dependency found its way here – and straight into the hands of Belize City police.
 
On Monday morning police recovered the Ishtar, a white sailing yacht, at the property of Old Belize at Mile 5 on the Western Highway.
 
On board the boat were three sailors from the Czech Republic: Jan Minarik, 28, Milos Gaspar, 43, and Miroslav Dolezalek, 37.
 
According to local police, their counterparts in Martinique had reported the boat stolen.
 
The Ishtar had been rented for a week in Martinique in February, but disappeared and was later reported stolen.
 
Police impounded the boat and detained the Czech trio pending continued investigation.
 
In an e-mail forwarded to Amandala this evening through Francis Woods, the manager of Old Belize, John Burnie, the general manager of Nautor’s Swan Charters of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, who is also assisting a German marine insurance company connected to the case, alleges that Gaspar is a known criminal with U.S. FBI warrants out for his arrest. Burnie claims to have been in touch with Belize police over the yacht, which he says was previously seen in Venezuela, and actually in Belizean waters from March 28.
 
Accompanying files list Gaspar as being sought in Platte County in the U.S. state of Missouri for failing to return a rented Coachman R/V worth US$75,000, and passing bad cheques, then fleeing the state to avoid prosecution.
 
According to Woods, Minarik and Dolezalek assisted Gaspar in sailing the boat out of Martinique, but he is not aware if they have criminal records of their own.
 
Amandala understands that at some point during the journey from Martinique to Venezuela to Belize the trio changed the yacht’s name and identifying markings. Police admit that this happened, but say that it wasn’t done here.
 
Further, the immigration documents the men presented on their arrival in Belize have been confirmed as false.
 
ASP Julio Valdez of CIB told Amandala tonight that as of press time the trio remains in custody, while police work with their Martinique counterparts.
 
Woods believes that the men may have been trying to sell the boat, but he has no idea why they chose to land in Belize.

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