By Breaking Belize News Staff: A domestic dispute on Antelope Street Extension took an unexpected turn on Wednesday morning when police, responding to a report of an alleged assault, were led to a stash of cannabis hidden inside a washing machine.
The discovery resulted in 28-year-old Neville Roy Hernandez, of an Antelope Street Extension address, being charged and convicted of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, after he admitted in court that he had been selling the drug for financial gain.
Hernandez, an employee of JC’s Club, appeared unrepresented before a Senior Magistrate in Court #2 in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where he wasted no time in pleading guilty to the charge.
Police say the bust was made at around 7:30 a.m. when officers on mobile patrol were called to a fight at Hernandez’s residence. Cops responded and found Hernandez outside the home. He reportedly told officers that he and his common-law wife had been fighting.
As police escorted the couple to the station so the woman could make a domestic violence report, she allegedly informed officers that Hernandez had “a lot of weed” hidden in the wash house.
The officers then returned to the residence and carried out a search.
Before the search began, police asked Hernandez if he had anything illegal to declare. According to the prosecution, he admitted, “I have a weed amount in the washing machine that’s for me.”
During the search, which police said was recorded on video, officers found a green school bag hidden beneath clothing inside the washing machine. Inside the bag was a plastic package containing 431 grams (15.2 ounces) of cannabis.
At arraignment, Hernandez accepted the police version of events and admitted that he had been selling the marijuana to survive.
In mitigation, he told the court that he had been struggling financially and emotionally.
“It’s hard to find a regular 8-to-5 job without a social security card because I have none and I have been trying to get one,” Hernandez said.
He also told the magistrate that he had been under significant stress and found himself in a bad place, adding that he knew what he was doing was wrong.
“This is a lesson,” he said, explaining that this was why he chose to plead guilty and take full responsibility.
After considering the quantity of cannabis—well below the 5-kilogram threshold outlined in the Misuse of Drugs Act—along with his early guilty plea, admission that he profited from sales, and the aggravating and mitigating factors, the Senior Magistrate imposed a non-custodial fine of $2,300 plus $5 in court costs.
The court noted that the starting point for the fine was $4,500, but Hernandez received a one-third discount for his early guilty plea, reducing the total to $2,305.
He was ordered to pay the fine by August 31, 2026, in default of which he will serve six months’ imprisonment.
The post For Better or Worse?: Woman snitches out boyfriend’s washing machine weed stash after domestic incident appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: A domestic dispute on Antelope Street Extension took an unexpected turn on Wednesday morning when police, responding to a report of an alleged assault, were led to a stash of cannabis hidden inside a washing machine. The discovery resulted in 28-year-old Neville Roy Hernandez, of an Antelope Street Extension address,
The post For Better or Worse?: Woman snitches out boyfriend’s washing machine weed stash after domestic incident appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
