Posted: Sunday, September 28, 2025. 1:23 pm CST.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: An American national who had been making frequent trips to Belize since December of last year has found himself in serious legal trouble after overstaying his permitted time in the country.
29-year-old Corey Lawrence Smith Jr., a Marketing Manager from the United States, appeared before Magistrate Mannon Dennison in Court #6 on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to failure to produce a visitor’s permit on demand.
Smith Jr. was fined $1,000 plus $5 cost of court, which he was ordered to pay forthwith. In default, he faces three months’ imprisonment. The court also granted an application by the Belize Immigration Department for his removal from the country, meaning he will be sent back to the U.S. once the fine is paid or his sentence served.
According to authorities, Smith Jr. entered Belize legally on several occasions between December 24, 2024, and August 18, 2025. However, on his most recent entry, he was only granted a one-day stay. Despite this, he remained in Belize, where he reportedly bought a motorcycle and was seeking to join the Corozal Basketball Team.
His troubles came to a head on September 22, 2025, when immigration officers detained him after he failed to produce a valid visitor’s permit during a checkpoint inspection. Further checks revealed that although he had a valid U.S. passport, he did not have a return ticket and had overstayed the conditions of his entry.
In court, Smith Jr. explained that he had gone to the Immigration Office to clarify the process of extending his stay but claimed he was given misleading information. He admitted that, in hindsight, he should have followed advice to leave and re-enter the country rather than overstay.
Authorities confirmed that Smith Jr. had been living at a residence in Belize City and had formed a relationship while in the country, but those plans came to an abrupt end with his detention and pending deportation.
The court ordered that once his fine is paid or his sentence completed, Smith Jr. will be escorted out of Belize and returned to the United States.
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The post American man who settled in Belize and found girlfriend fined $1,000 for overstaying time; being deported back to ‘foreign’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Sunday, September 28, 2025. 1:23 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: An American national who had been making frequent trips to Belize since December
The post American man who settled in Belize and found girlfriend fined $1,000 for overstaying time; being deported back to ‘foreign’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
