By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 41-year-old Lord’s Bank businessman was fined $605 in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court after being convicted of possession of 90 grams (3.1 ounces) of cannabis.
Derrick Deon Olivera, of Lord’s Bank, Ladyville, appeared on Friday before newly appointed Magistrate David Edmund in Court #5, represented by attorney Norman Rodriguez.
Olivera was initially charged with possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply after police allegedly discovered 90 grams of cannabis inside a bedroom at his home.
However, the prosecutor accepted a guilty plea to the lesser charge of simple possession, allowing Olivera to avoid a custodial sentence.
For his guilty plea, Magistrate Edmund imposed a fine of $600 plus $5 in court costs, giving Olivera until June 9, 2026 to pay. In default, he will serve three months imprisonment.
In handing down sentence, the magistrate considered several mitigating factors, including Olivera’s cooperation with police, his early guilty plea, and his declaration to officers that he had cannabis in the room before the search was carried out.
The court also granted Olivera the customary one-third discount for an early guilty plea. While Magistrate Edmund noted that the charge was serious, he also observed that the quantity involved was not an exorbitant amount.
According to the facts presented, the drug bust occurred on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, during a joint police operation in the Ladyville area between 4:00 a.m. and 6:50 a.m.
The operation involved the Gang Intelligence Interdiction Unit, the K-9 Unit, and the Narcotics Unit, assisted by K-9 dog Axel, and targeted known drug peddlers and individuals suspected of selling drugs in the area.
Police said officers visited Olivera’s home and informed him that they would be conducting a search for illegal firearms and drugs.
Before the search began, officers reportedly asked Olivera whether he had anything illegal to declare, to which he allegedly replied: “I have an amount of weed here on my bed.”
Police said they found green leafy substances on the bed and, with the assistance of K-9 Axel, discovered an additional plastic bag containing more suspected cannabis elsewhere in the bedroom.
Olivera was then escorted to the Ladyville Police Station, where he was formally charged.
The conviction marks Olivera’s second drug-related offense.
The post Lord’s Bank man fined $605 after being busted with 3.1 ounces of weed during police operation appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 41-year-old Lord’s Bank businessman was fined $605 in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court after being convicted of possession of 90 grams (3.1 ounces) of cannabis. Derrick Deon Olivera, of Lord’s Bank, Ladyville, appeared on Friday before newly appointed Magistrate David Edmund in Court #5, represented by attorney Norman Rodriguez.
The post Lord’s Bank man fined $605 after being busted with 3.1 ounces of weed during police operation appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
