Posted: Friday, October 24, 2025. 6:56 pm CST.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: An American woman has been hit with one of the heaviest fines for drug importation after being caught with marijuana upon entering Belize.
Thirty-year-old Celeste Ann Carr, a driver from North Carolina, USA, was fined $6,000 for the importation of a controlled drug after authorities found 35 grams of cannabis in her luggage at the Philip Goldson International Airport on Thursday, October 23, 2025.
Airport authorities discovered 11 cylindrical tubes containing 34 pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes, wrapped in white and brown paper, hidden among her belongings.
Carr appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Mannon Dennison in Court #6, where she pleaded guilty to the charge. In her mitigation, she told the court, “I learnt my lesson. I won’t do this in the future. I am sorry.”
Magistrate Dennison noted that the offense carries a mandatory minimum fine of $10,000—which can go as high as $100,000 or include a three-year prison term. However, taking into account Carr’s early guilty plea, remorse, and first-time offender status, the magistrate imposed a reduced fine of $6,000, plus $5 court costs, to be paid immediately. In default, Carr would serve one year in prison.
Carr, who turns 31 on October 27, reportedly arrived in Belize on American Airlines Flight 2797. She was taken to the Ladyville Police Station, where she was formally charged with importation of controlled drugs.
Authorities emphasized that drug importation remains a serious offense under Belizean law, even for small quantities.
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Posted: Friday, October 24, 2025. 6:56 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: An American woman has been hit with one of the heaviest fines for
The post American woman slapped with one of heaviest fines – $6,000 for importing marijuana into Belize appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
