By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 22-year-old fisherman is ending the year with a hefty court debt after being convicted of drug trafficking following the seizure of 8.4 grams of cocaine by police on Boxing Day.
Joseph Leslie, a resident of Laura Don Street, was fined the minimum mandatory sum of $10,000 plus a $5 cost of court after he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply—an offense equivalent to drug trafficking. He has until December 29, 2026, to pay the fine, or face three years’ imprisonment in default.
Leslie appeared unrepresented before the Chief Magistrate in Court #2 on Monday afternoon, where he admitted to the offense. While the charge carries a possible penalty of a minimum $10,000 fine and/or three years in prison, the court spared Leslie from immediate incarceration, noting that he is a first-time offender for drug-related crimes.
In mitigation, Leslie pleaded for a fine instead of jail time and hoped for a lesser amount. However, the Chief Magistrate made it clear that the law mandates a minimum fine for the quantity involved and warned him that the court would not be lenient if he failed to show consistency in making payments. She further cautioned that any default would result in a three-year prison sentence, to be served consecutively to any other sentence.
The conviction stems from an incident on Friday, December 26, 2025, when officers attached to Precinct 3 Support Team, along with GI3 and Special Branch personnel, were conducting operations in the East Collect Canal area. Police reported that their attention was drawn to a man running through a yard. After ordering him to stop, officers searched Leslie and found a plastic bag in his left front pants pocket containing six smaller plastic bags of suspected cocaine, later confirmed to weigh 8.4 grams.
Although police stated that Leslie was seen running, he denied fleeing from officers, telling the court he was walking into his yard as he was preparing to travel to the cayes.
Leslie also told the Chief Magistrate that he uses cocaine to manage chronic pain from a gunshot wound, explaining that a bullet remains lodged in his lower back. He said he does menial labor and relies on the substance to cope with the pain.
Despite his explanation, the court emphasized that the manner in which the cocaine was packaged suggested trafficking, leading to the conviction and the mandatory fine now hanging over the young fisherman’s head.
The post Fisherman slapped with $10,000 fine for 8.4 grams of cocaine appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 22-year-old fisherman is ending the year with a hefty court debt after being convicted of drug trafficking following the seizure of 8.4 grams of cocaine by police on Boxing Day. Joseph Leslie, a resident of Laura Don Street, was fined the minimum mandatory sum of $10,000 plus a $5
The post Fisherman slapped with $10,000 fine for 8.4 grams of cocaine appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
