Belize couple remanded after drugs and firearm seized in home raid

Belize: A Belizean couple, aged 31-year-old male and a 29-year-old female, were detained and remanded in prison on Wednesday, following the discovery of a significant quantity of marijuana, along with a firearm and ammunition, at their home in Handyside Street.

The accused have been identified as 31-year-old Michael Shawn Whylie, Leadership Intervention Unit (LIU) worker and his girlfriend 29-year-old Tamika Jenna Smith, a Ranger Security guard, both the residents of Handyside Street. 

According to reports, the couple were presented before the Senior Magistrate Mannon Dennison in Court #6, on Wednesday, March 25, where they were charged with three offences including possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply, amounting to 17 pounds of marijuana, and possession of a firearm without a gun license. 

During the hearing, the prosecution presented evidence including the weapon, described as a .22 revolver with no visible serial number, along with live rounds of ammunition, along with some quantity of marijuana which the officers recovered from the accused home. 

However, both the defendants pleaded not guilty to the office and demanded bail but the justice denied their bail due to the serious nature of the crime and ordered them to be remanded in Belize Central Prison until May 12, 2026. 

Reportedly, the incident occurred on Tuesday, March 24, in Handyside Street at the residence of the couple when the officers attached to Special Branch initiated an intelligence led operation along with the Anti-Narcotics Unit, Special Branch, Precinct 3, and the Quick Response Team. 

During the search of the premises, officers attached to the K9 unit uncovered the quantity of drugs, following which the officers attached to other units also searched the area and discovered multiple quantities of suspected cannabis in various locations, including a green plastic bag found in a hall area.

Additional search of the house also led to the discovery of a concealed and hidden section beneath the floor, accessed through a plywood covering, reacting to which they went inside and recovered additional bags, containing suspected cannabis, along with a black .22 revolver concealed inside a PVC pipe. 

Following the discovery, the officers arrested the couple and then formally charged them with the charges before presenting them before the magistrate.