Fisherman sentenced to six months for fifth crack pipe conviction

Published by [email protected] at December 2, 2024

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Posted: Monday, December 2, 2024. 9:32 pm CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: After a string of repeated offenses, 27-year-old fisherman Jim Albert Ramirez of Apple Star Street has been sentenced to six months in prison for possession of a crack pipe, marking his fifth conviction for the same charge.

Ramirez appeared unrepresented in Court #7 on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to possessing a 2 ¾-inch pipe with mesh wire, which police found on him Wednesday, November 27, 2024, on Cran Street. While he hoped for another fine, the Magistrate decided that Ramirez’s habitual offenses warranted a custodial sentence.

Over the past four months, Ramirez has faced two other pipe possession charges. On August 2, 2024, he was fined $105 for a crack pipe found on July 30. He was fined $505 on October 11 for another offense, though this fine remains unpaid and is due by December 14.

Today, the Magistrate exercised leniency, ordering that the $505 fine run concurrently with his six-month prison sentence. This spares Ramirez from serving additional time for his unpaid fine. However, the court warned that any other pending charges would be served consecutively.

Ramirez’s repeated convictions underscore ongoing challenges with crack cocaine use in the community.

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