by Charles Gladden

SAN PEDRO, Ambergris Caye, Wed. Feb. 12, 2025

Earlier this week, on two consecutive days, police officers discovered guns and pieces of ammunition north of San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye.

On Monday, February 10, a joint operation between the Customs and Excise Department and the Police Department was carried out north of San Pedro Town; and during that operation the officers discovered a camp in a bushy area, and encountered three persons at that location: 26-year-old Daniel Lagos, 23-year-old Zephaniah Mariano, and 21-year-old Zylon Castillo, all of San Pedro Town.

The officers then proceeded to conduct a search at the camp, which led to the discovery of a 9mm pistol with an extended magazine containing 22 live 9mm rounds; an AR-15 rifle with two magazines containing 25 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, 26 rounds of .223 ammunition; as well as an SG rifle with a magazine containing 12 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition. Also found were two 5.56mm rounds, one 5.56mm round, and fifteen .223 live rounds.

The three men were charged individually with 1 count of “Kept prohibited firearm,” 1 count of “Kept Prohibited ammunition,” 2 counts of “Kept a firearm without a gun license,” 2 counts of “Kept ammunition without a gun license,” and “Possession of a firearm with serial number removed.”

The following day, several pieces of ammunition were found in northern San Pedro Town, in an operation which was led by various units within the San Pedro Police.

During that search the officers found an AK-47 magazine containing twelve 7.62mm live rounds of ammunition; a red box containing twenty-three 5.56mm live rounds of ammunition; and a 60-round capacity magazine containing thirty-seven 5.56mm live rounds of ammunition.

No one was seen in the area when the items were found. Thus, the weapon and ammunition were considered as found property.