Police, however, could not make the charges stick
Two men who were charged with multiple counts of keeping a firearm and ammunition without a gun license were acquitted at the Corozal Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The men are Alberto Hernandez Zuniga, 25, a Mexican, and George Valencia, 32, a Belizean of G-Street South, Corozal Town. The Mexican, Zuniga, however, did not get to go home. He was handed over to the Immigration Department, who are investigating him for illegal entry into the country.
According to police, the men were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. On Sunday, May, 12, police reported that they were on mobile patrol in the Dominguez Layout area in Corozal Town when they saw a black Ford F150 pickup truck with three men in it. Driving the vehicle at the time was Valencia.
The driver sped away when he saw the police coming. When police pursued the vehicle, they saw objects being thrown out the pickup window. When the police finally stopped the vehicle, two of the passengers ran out of the vehicle and into the bushes.
Police said that they chased the two men and quickly captured one. The man was brought to the truck, where he was identified as Alberto Hernandez Zuniga, 25, of Mexico. He and the driver, who had remained in the pickup truck, were returned to the area where police had seen the objects thrown from out of the vehicle.
Police searched the area and found a 9mm Beretta pistol loaded with 14 rounds in the magazine. A further search of the area resulted in the discovery of 2 additional magazines, each loaded with (15) 9mm live rounds, and a black ski mask.
Police said that the next day, Monday, May 13, they brought Valencia and Zuniga back to the area, where they conducted further searches, which led to the discovery of a 9mm Browning pistol loaded with 9 live rounds in the magazine, and another magazine loaded with 13 9mm rounds.
The two men were charged with multiple counts of keeping a firearm and ammunition without a license.
With all this, the attorney for the two men, Arthur Saldivar, made a no-case submission, because the police could not connect the men to the guns and bullets. They were then found not guilty.