Three men arraigned for illegal logging in Monkey Bay Natural Monument

By Breaking Belize News Staff: Three out of the five men accused of illegal logging in the Monkey Bay Natural Monument earlier this year were arraigned on four forestry offenses on Tuesday. The accused include Tyrell Banner, a 42-year-old truck driver, along with his teenage son, 19-year-old Kaylon Anthony Gabourel, both residents of Camalote Village, Cayo District, Belize. The third accused is 41-year-old Guatemalan national, David Morales Sandoval, a resident of the Salvapan area in Belmopan City. Two others implicated in the case have not yet been summoned to appear in court.

The trio stood before a Senior Magistrate in Court #2 where they were jointly charged with offenses including unlawful cutting of forest produce, unlawful possession of forest produce, unlawful conversion of mahogany using a chainsaw, and unlawful collection of forestry produce. The charges stem from an incident on January 26, 2024, where the men allegedly cut down mahogany trees east of Monkey Bay National Park without proper authorization, resulting in the production of 1,477.5 board feet of mahogany lumber.

Pleading not guilty, the accused were granted bail set at $8,000 each, along with one or two sureties of $4,000 each. The case has been adjourned until July 10, 2024.

During the proceedings, the Senior Magistrate inquired about the absence of two other defendants listed in the court records. The Forestry Department representative explained that one defendant had been involved in an accident in Belmopan, while the other was out of the country receiving medical treatment.

The Senior Magistrate also raised questions about the delay in bringing the accused to court. The Forestry Department representative attributed the delay to the department seeking legal advice on how to proceed with the charges.

Notably, the three accused persons appeared in court without legal representation. Despite being out on bail, they are expected to return to court for further proceedings in July.

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