In a targeted law enforcement operation against illegal cross-border seafood trade in Belize, authorities have secured a conviction and issued $94,015 in fines, while launching a broader investigation to track down commercial buyers that have propped up this frequent illicit supply chain. The crackdown unfolded in the early hours of Thursday, when fisheries enforcement officers and local police intercepted a smuggling pickup truck along the Hattieville-Boom Road following a short pursuit.
Inside the vehicle, law enforcement recovered more than 600 pounds of undeclared, unpermitted seafood: 290 pounds of tilapia fillets, 335 pounds of jumbo shrimp, and 14 whole octopuses, all still packaged in their original shipping boxes from their overseas place of origin. Two men were taken into custody immediately in connection with the alleged smuggling ring. On September 4, 2026, the case reached Belize’s Magistrate’s Court, where defendant Leslie Lizarraga pled guilty to smuggling-related charges. Prosecutors opted to drop all charges against the second detained individual.
Lizarraga’s defense attorney, David McKoy, noted that the court showed leniency to his client, who had no prior criminal record related to illegal trade and had fully cooperated with prosecuting authorities throughout the investigation. “This is his first offense, and he agreed to all facts presented by the prosecution,” McKoy told reporters after the hearing. “The magistrate clearly laid out his obligations and the consequences for failing to pay the fine, but I believe he is able to meet the payment and move forward with his business.”
Hampton Gamboa, a senior fisheries officer with Belize’s Fisheries Department, outlined that the illegal seafood seized in this operation was bound for commercial buyers across the country, including resorts, hotels, and supermarkets that intentionally source underpriced unregulated seafood to cut operational costs. “Belize City is far from immune to this illicit activity, and our targeted operation this week focused on networks operating in the southern part of the country,” Gamboa explained, adding that intelligence gathered over months shows smuggling runs happen as often as four times a week during the country’s peak tourism season, dropping to roughly bi-weekly shipments in off-peak months. In total, thousands of pounds of illegal seafood have likely entered local commercial supply chains during peak periods.
Now, authorities are expanding their investigation beyond the smugglers to target the commercial buyers that sustain the illegal trade. Enforcement teams are working closely with partner agencies including local police, customs officials, and the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit to trace the supply chain through product traceability checks. Any business caught holding unregulated seafood that cannot provide valid import permits and proof of legal purchase will face the same level of fines that applied to Lizarraga, Gamboa confirmed. “We’re currently working both at the point of entry and along the distribution chain to identify all parties involved in this illegal operation, and we’re committed to putting a significant dent in this illicit trade,” he added.