Venezuelan Captain remanded as government moves to seize undeclared fuel cargo

A Venezuelan ship captain has been remanded to prison following his arraignment in the Independence Magistrate’s Court, as the Government of Belize moves decisively to confiscate thousands of gallons of undeclared fuel found aboard his vessel.  Fifty-five-year-old Carlos Tomas Rivas Rodriguez, captain of the motor vessel Humilde Viajero, was denied bail after being charged with failure to provide advance cargo information and for being recklessly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of customs laws.  Authorities say the vessel entered Belizean waters earlier this month and was intercepted near Harvest Caye in the Stann Creek District. While initial suspicions pointed to possible illicit cargo, a subsequent search revealed that the vessel was carrying over fifty-three thousand gallons of diesel fuel, despite official documentation indicating that it was not transporting any cargo.  According to maritime tracking data, the Humilde Viajero is a Panama-flagged offshore supply vessel, measuring approximately 34 meters in length with a stated destination of Big Creek, Belize. Customs officials contend that the fuel was not properly declared upon entry into Belizean waters, triggering a multi-agency response involving the Belize Coast Guard, Port Authority, BAHA, and Immigration. The vessel has since been detained, with authorities also noting several safety deficiencies onboard.  The fuel cargo, valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, is now the subject of forfeiture proceedings, along with the vessel itself, under Belize’s Customs laws.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Briceño signaled the government’s firm stance on the matter, indicating that the fuel would be confiscated and that charges were imminent.

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “What we have said that we have seized the tanker and whosoever is responsible for that tanker will have to answer in a court of law and if necessary we’re going to seize those 50,000 gallons of diesel to put to use for, we’re going to sell it to Puma and maybe to be able to help us with the challenges that we’re facing. 

Reporter: What’s the challenging you’re facing to clear the tanker ? 

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize:  Well from what it seems and I have to be careful because that will end up in court, this tanker just showed up, There was no documentation I’m told even the captain said they didn’t know what they had there and no invoice no nothing. And then all of a sudden some paper came up. So we’re doing the full investigation. We have the Attorney General’s Ministry working with DOE, working with the Customs Department to ensure that if there was anything that was done unbecoming or anything that was done illegally that we’re going to deal with it to the full extent of the law.”

In court today, Rodriguez, who pleaded not guilty, was represented by attorney Leeroy Banner. However, Customs Prosecutor Tracey Sosa successfully argued that the accused posed a flight risk due to his non-Belizean status.  The Magistrate agreed, denying bail and remanding Rodriguez to the Belize Central Prison until April 20 when he is scheduled to return to court.