Construction worker fined for smoking weed in public

Published by [email protected] at January 2, 2025

Posted: Thursday, January 2, 2025. 11:37 pm CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: 28-year-old Armando Esquilliano, a construction worker from Kings Park, Belize City, was fined on Thursday for smoking cannabis in public. Esquilliano appeared before the Chief Magistrate in Court #1 to answer to the charge, which stemmed from an incident on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024.

According to police, Esquilliano was found smoking cannabis on 6th Street, Kings Park, Belize City. He pleaded guilty to the charge and explained to the court that he was helping his father with some work when a friend offered him a smoke. As he was smoking, a police patrol approached, and he was caught in the act.

For his guilty plea, Esquilliano was fined $300 plus a $5 court cost. He has until February 14, 2025, to pay the fine, or he will face three months in prison. Despite his previous convictions for possession of controlled drugs dating back to 2017, the Chief Magistrate opted for a fine rather than jail time, considering the seven-year gap since his last drug-related offense.

Esquilliano was fortunate to avoid a custodial sentence, with the Magistrate exercising discretion in her decision.

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