Security Guard fined $3,000 for drug trafficking after admitting he tried selling weed to support his parents

By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 28-year-old Belize City security guard avoided imprisonment on Tuesday after pleading guilty to drug trafficking involving 940 grams (a little over 2 pounds) of cannabis.

Barrington Earl Vanson was fined $3,000, along with $5 in court costs, and was given until December 30, 2026, to pay. If he fails to pay the fine by the deadline, he will serve one year in prison.

Vanson was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Monday evening and pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.

During his mitigation plea, Vanson admitted that he had attempted to sell the cannabis but claimed it was the first time he had become involved in selling drugs.

“I promise it won’t happen again because usually I do my little security work,” Vanson told the court. “I usually do handyman work too, chopping yards and cleaning garbage. I am asking for leniency.”

Vanson said he normally earns money through security and odd jobs but made the decision to sell cannabis because both of his parents were unemployed and he was trying to help support them.

“I know I messed up really big, and that was a stupid choice I made to survive because I have my ma to care for and my father. Both are not working right now,” he said. “I was just doing something on the side to help my family. This is the first time I decided to do this.”

The court imposed a non-custodial sentence after considering his guilty plea and mitigation.

According to police, at about 1:30 a.m. on Monday, July 27, members of the Violence Enforcement Team acted on information that cannabis was being kept inside Room No. 7 at a building located at the corner of Dean and Plues streets.

Officers visited the apartment and met Vanson, who identified himself as a security guard. Police informed him that they intended to search the premises for illegal firearms and ammunition and asked whether he had anything illegal to declare. He reportedly said no.

During the search, officers found a bag containing a grey plastic bag with seven smaller parcels of green, leafy material suspected to be cannabis.

Vanson was taken to the police station, where the substance was weighed in his presence and amounted to 940 grams.

This version keeps the court details while giving greater prominence to how Vanson normally earns a living and his explanation for committing the offence.

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