Alleged “Party Boat” Intercepted: Owner Says He Was Only Ferrying Passengers
Several people were arrested and charged for allegedly taking part in a boat party onboard a catamaran that was chartered to take a group of persons to Caye Caulker on Saturday. The group was heading to the island to throw a birthday bash for someone on the boat called Joy Ride, but their trip ended when police intercepted the vessel before it even left the dock at the Princess Ramada pier. At the centre of the controversy is City Councilor Allan Pollard who reports say organized the boat party. Pollard, via a Facebook post, has vehemently denied the allegation. And the boat owner, Rico Black, told News Five today that nothing could be further from the truth, as far as any boat party involving his vessel is concerned.
Voice of: Rico Black, Owner of Joy Ride
“I was chartered to do a transfer from Belize City to Caye Caulker. It was a family who hired me to carry forty-five persons from the Princess Hotel to Caulker. And they chartered the boat on the grounds that they didn’t want to travel on San Pedro Belize Express or Ocean Ferry because of the social distancing. So they hired my boat. The capacity of my boat is one hundred and fifty passengers. So by them putting forty-five, I was way below my capacity. They wanted the space because the boat has two decks upstairs and downstairs so forty-five people was the perfect amount for the size of the boat. So basically they hired me to transfer them but at the same time they were taking their food, drinks and so forth because they were going to Caye Caulker and hang out there for the day and I would bring them back in the evening. While we were docked a lady came by and videoed us and then a message was sent to me by my wife stating that is it true that I have one hundred passengers on my boat. I said no, I don’t. This gentleman hired my boat for forty-five passengers. With my crew it’s forty-eight. And then she tell me I’m doing a big party. I said no. The gentleman hired bartenders and everything to take along with him to the area where they were going.”
Marion Ali
“Did it at any point end up being a party?”
Voice of: Rico Black
“None at all. We didn’t even move off the dock. When the Police officers came there everybody had on their masks and everything. We were following the protocols. We were just about to leave. We were waiting for the birthday lady and the birthday boy to get on board the boat.”
Marion Ali
“And then that was when the Police intercepted you.”
Voice of: Rico Black
“Exactly.”
Marion Ali
“If I saw a video of what the lady took, what would the video show me?”
Voice of: Rico Black
“The video will show you people sitting there waiting for the other passengers to arrive. There were two guys there testing their speakers and I was standing by the boat; the engines were already started ready to depart and my crew was outside helping people to enter the boat. The Police officers came and made a head count and they noticed that it was exactly forty-five people on board the boat and everyone was wearing their mask.”
Black has been charged with inciting an event. Other passengers were charged with illegal social gathering. While Rico Black declined to name the client who chartered his boat, he says it was not Councilor Pollard and that he has never met him nor done any business with him. Black says he is trying to secure a meeting with Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa to find out the parameters within which he can operate his business. He says he previously did hire out his boats for parties, but since the COVID regulations have been imposed, he has only been taking excursions on his vessels. For his part, Councilor Pollard posted a message on social media saying that reports he had chartered the boat were baseless; that the last time he organized any event was in 2019, and he has since left that industry.
