Twenty-five-year-old Herman Ciego has been charged with keeping a firearm without a gun license and keeping ammunition without a gun license. Ciego, from Belize City, was detained over the Easter weekend after police responded to a disturbance on Caye Caulker.
Police reported that while responding to the incident, they noticed a male fleeing the area. The individual, later identified as Ciego, was pursued and detained. Officers then searched the immediate vicinity from which he had reportedly fled. The search led to the discovery of a 9mm SIG Sauer pistol with ten live rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Police said their investigation also included reviewing surveillance footage, which allegedly showed Ciego engaging in conduct supporting the charges. While authorities did not provide further details about the disturbance, Ciego was reportedly remanded pending his next court appearance.
In recent months, other Caye Caulker residents have faced similar charges. In February, 29-year-old Jovaun Moody was arrested and charged with possessing a firearm without a license, possessing ammunition without a license, and drug possession following a shooting on the island.
Police said the charges originated from an investigation into a shooting that happened around 8:45PM on February 12th in the Bahia area of Caye Caulker. During that incident, 22-year-old Dominic Castillo was injured. He was initially treated at the Caye Caulker Health Center before being transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for additional medical care.
As in Ciego’s case, police were responding to reports of a disturbance involving gunfire when they observed a golf cart with three male occupants speeding away. Officers pursued the vehicle, and Moody was allegedly seen discarding a firearm.
After detaining Moody, police returned to the area where the weapon had reportedly been thrown. Officers recovered a 9mm Taurus pistol fitted with a magazine containing seven live rounds of ammunition. Moody was also charged with possession of controlled drugs after police reportedly found a Ziplock bag containing suspected cocaine in his possession.