Mexican nationals flee Belize quarantine center

BELMOPAN, Belize, May 16, CMC – Police believe that three Mexican nationals who had escaped from a quarantine center as they awaited trial for illegally entering the country, may have returned to their homeland.

“We believe by now they may have gone back across the border but we are still in the area looking to see if they will be recaptured,” Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters.

The Mexicans had been caught in the area of Bacalar Chico on Thursday by the Coast Guard and handed over to police.

Williams said the men – Gabriel Vargas de la Cruz, Noel Gonzalez Alamilla and Arturo Pedro Cordero – had been placed in quarantine in keeping with the policies being implemented by the authorities to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Williams told reporters that the building where the men were being held was manned by elements of the volunteer element of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) and not the police.

“We were made to understand last night that the three Mexicans escaped from the quarantine center. I know that elements of the police and BDF were canvassing the area up to this morning with a view to see if they can be recaptured but that was to no avail.”

Williams said that the BDF is likely to conduct their own “investigation to see if in fact the BDF officers who were posted at the quarantine centre were negligent in the sense that they were not paying much attention to these persons as they ought to have”.

He added that he was not certain that the Mexican authorities would be returning their nationals to face trial here.

“I am sure no country is going to return their subject to stand trial for a charge like that but yes there is collaboration between forces of both countries but we will see what will happen from there,” he added.

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