By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 27-year-old North Front Street fisherman narrowly avoided a far more serious penalty after pleading guilty to possession of controlled drugs in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court this week.
Lorenzo Victor Tzul appeared unrepresented before a Senior Magistrate in Court #2, where he was charged with possession of 58.6 grams of marijuana—just 1.4 grams short of triggering a minimum mandatory fine of $10,000 or up to three years’ imprisonment.
Tzul admitted to the offense, telling the court that the cannabis was for his personal use and intended to last the duration of his time at sea. He explained that he had planned to go out that same day, November 24, but weather conditions changed those plans.
The Senior Magistrate accepted his guilty plea after confirming that Tzul understood he was in possession of more than the legally allowed 10 grams of decriminalized cannabis. However, she emphasized that claiming he was going to sea did not exempt him from the law.
Starting from a base fine of $800, the Magistrate found no mitigating factors in Tzul’s favor. She did, however, note the significant amount of marijuana involved as an aggravating factor, increasing the fine to $900. Tzul then received the standard one-third reduction, bringing the total down to $600, plus a $5 cost of court.
He was ordered to pay the $605 by February 27, 2026, or face four months’ imprisonment.
Tzul was also confronted with a substantial outstanding balance: a previous conviction for possession of controlled drugs had left him owing $4,955, plus an additional $825, for a combined total of $5,780.
In court, he was ordered to pay $1,000 immediately toward that amount before being allowed to leave.
Tzul’s close call spared him from much harsher mandatory penalties—thanks only to the fact that the amount of marijuana found on him fell just below the threshold.
The post Fisherman fined $605 for 58.6 grams of weed he said was to last him while at sea; 1.4 grams more he would have been fined $10,000 appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 27-year-old North Front Street fisherman narrowly avoided a far more serious penalty after pleading guilty to possession of controlled drugs in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court this week. Lorenzo Victor Tzul appeared unrepresented before a Senior Magistrate in Court #2, where he was charged with possession of 58.6 grams
The post Fisherman fined $605 for 58.6 grams of weed he said was to last him while at sea; 1.4 grams more he would have been fined $10,000 appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
