A scheduled law enforcement operation carried out under Belize’s active State of Emergency powers has led to the arrest of a 34-year-old Belize City resident on two unlicensed weapons charges.
On Friday, officers from the Gang Intelligence Investigation and Interdiction Unit (GI3), a specialized unit focused on dismantling organized criminal activity in high-risk areas, executed a sanctioned search of Thomas Ferguson’s home on Electric Avenue in central Belize City. During the search, law enforcement personnel uncovered a loaded black 9mm handgun, with 15 live rounds of matching ammunition hidden on the property.
Following the seizure, authorities took Ferguson into custody and formally charged him with two offenses: possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of unlicensed ammunition. As of the latest official update, no additional information has been made public regarding the timeline of Ferguson’s first court appearance, nor has any details been released about how he intends to plead to the allegations against him.
The operation was conducted in a pre-declared State of Emergency zone, a designation that grants Belizean law enforcement expanded search and enforcement authority to address rising gang-related violence and weapons trafficking in vulnerable communities across the Belize District.