A business house that Senator Mark Lizarraga, who represents the business community, is related, to has some explanation to do after a container was busted at customs with six thousand pounds of bacon. The bust took place in the middle of last week and since then The Guardian has been able to verify that Southside Distributors, listed as having its operations at #23 Albert Street, was attempting to import six thousand pounds of Griddlemaster Wide Shingle Bacon in 400 boxes. The bacon was found inside a container that also brought in 24 boxes of Vacuum Packed Pork Tenderloin. The company from whom the bacon was bought was Hormel Foods out of Chicago, U.S.A.
The company had received a permit from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) to import the tenderloin but there was no permit issued to import the bacon. There is local production of bacon in Belize and for that, it is a controlled good which needs a permit.
Best information to The Guardian suggests that this is not the first time that Southside has imported bacon into the country without a permit. Last year alone, he imported some 24 thousand pounds very much in the same manner. The importer has long been warned of not doing so and the last shipment would simply not be tolerated. After the bacon was detected, the importer was given up to Thursday of last week to re-export the meat and it has not done. Now, the bacon has been confiscated and will be distributed free of charge to various organizations.
The awkwardness of the whole situation is that one of the principals of Southside distributors is Senator Mark Lizarraga, who is in fact a Senator appointed to represent the business community in the Senate. For him to be involved in this type of activity does not bode well for the position he represents. Businesses have long been clamoring for fair treatment and crackdown on illegal importation of goods into the country. Now, the very Senator who helps to project this message is caught with his hands in the pig sty. More embarrassing is that as early as April 2nd, he was seen on the news lamenting on how the Government can fix the this, that and all that goes wrong. He stated, “if people committed fraud or some wrongdoing, then these people should be charged and the full extent of the law should come down upon these people. If someone aided and abetted in that fraud, then they too should be held responsible for their actions”.
This is easier said than done, especially because the scrutinizing eye is now turned on the very persons who uttered those words. We now wait and see if there will be reformation in the good gentleman’s behaviour.
