Contract hit placed on media mogul and businessman
Jules Vasquez
The media was called out today by one of its own members, who along with a well known business personality, say they have received credible reports that their lives are in danger. They claim in fact that a street figure has confirmed that someone has paid for a hit on them. Media colleague, Channel Seven’s Jules Vasquez and businessman Lascelle Arnold say that by bringing the threat to public attention, they hope their adversaries will leave them alone. Vasquez and Arnold held a press conference this afternoon in which they said that the threats follow an exposé they collaborated on in respect of butane companies, who they claim have been cheating customers. According to both, they will take some safety precautions.
Jules Vasquez, Threatened
“Persons with vested interest have sought to arrange a hit on both of us. Certainly you will understand due to the nature of these things, specifics can’t be discussed. I will only say that Mr. Arnold has been contacted directly with someone who was approached. And again this fits in with three other pieces of information he had received independently from different sources. When we became aware of this information, I became aware of this information two days ago, we had three avenues we could take it—either we handle it discreetly (privately), which in the current climate certainly in view of what had happened to Mister Rodwell Williams who works five hundred feet away from where I work, I don’t think the approach of keeping it within a close circuit is practical. The second choice we had was to go to law enforcement and seek to work some sort of sting operation, but we do not have a cooperating witness.”
Lascelle Arnold
Lascelle Arnold, Threatened
“Somebody else in the industry, who make some of the same claim that we heard the day before, concerning a hit on me and Jules. Then Monday, in Belmopan, two persons come and meet with me in Belmopan. We were just crossing the street and we end up speaking. The person tell me exactly what was about to happen—something that was planned two weeks ago. And within those two weeks, we had where there were casing out the place of business, Belize Dry Cleaners and Channel 7. They talked about the vehicle that I drive and the vehicle that Jules drive. And one of the next information that we get concerning Mister Vasquez was that they will make news in front of Channel 7. I mean we could just read between the lines; they didn’t say what they will do, what will happen, they just said news will be made in front of Channel 7.”
Recently someone also broke the windows of Belize Dry Cleaners, which is owned by Arnold.
Are we so myopic that we cannot see what choosing murder as the only solution to disagreements, exposure, shame is doing & will continue to do to us? We keep recycling the same self centered pits to run the country & complain that they are only out for themselves. We reinstate officers who have no business on the force & cry because the corruption highlights the flaws in our courts & the criminals now own our streets. We have dishonest business people wringing the last few drops of blood left in our poor folks & we have now sunk further into hell, we don’t have the GOB boycotting one media house, we have more ignorant myopic fools ready to use murder to silence the media. If a reporter can be killed because someone or a few people were offended by a story, Belizeans need to wake up & understand that the silence that will follow will not only make them more vulnerable & their lives even more worthless.
I wish both Mr Vasquez & Mr Arnold the best & hope it was just someone talking big,
What are we suppose to do with this information, a threat brought to light, yet no names mentioned?
I was happy about the cheating gas company’s thread, and was happy a remedy was put into effect, a process long overdue.
I strongly suggest you and Lascelle Arnold put out a hit on the person threatening you, end of story.
this is whats happening in our beautiful country total caos going on because there is no kind of leadership in our jewel everyone thinks now they can do as they please because their is absolutely no kind of law and order no leadershippppppppppppppppppppppppp in the jewel so we now have a country that should change its name from belize to thombstone.
Mr Arnold and Jules,you guys need to have those individuals or individual arrested.The way things is going in the Jewel if you guys take this threat lightly,Both of you will definately become the 50th murder victims.
This is what happens to wavemakers in this country, and it happens because there’s no consequences for such heinous acts! Remember what happened to Derek Aikman for trying to make wave back in 2005?
We always knew that the monsters behind all these killings are people sitting next to us in PTA meetings, Church, and in very high Offices! GOB start popping some necks and you’ll see a decrease in cold-bloodied murders when the prices of these ‘hits’ skyrocket to an inaffordable high.
This is what happens to wave makers in this country, and it happens because there are no consequences for such heinous acts! Remember what happened to Derek Aikman for trying to make wave back in 2005?
We always knew that the monsters behind all these killings are people sitting next to us in PTA meetings, Church, and in very high Offices! GOB start popping some necks and you’ll see a decrease in cold-bloodied murders when the prices of these ‘hits’ skyrocket to an unaffordable high.
As much as i may sympthize with Jules and Mr Arnold i believe that the targeting of affluent members of the Belizean Community might bring something positive to addressing the crime situation in the Jewel.Reason is that everyone who thaught that they were immune from being a victim of this crime wave are now facing thesame pridicament as the average Belizean Citizen.
this is serious people, threats shouldn’t be taken as a joke, secondly this is a lead for the investigation depart. to start checking suspected person dealing with these kind of threats. mein, we really need to upgrade our investigation system more modern to reach the international level but sadly we’re living in the black and white era still.
Free Press always, no matta wat. solidarity with channel 7 news
When the media becomes a target, things are def going downhill. This is as serious as putting threats on cops etc. the media should not be intimidated…not even the drug dealers do it, now some …. loosing money in butane is doing it. Good thing its only a handful of possible people. So watch them carefully, or just look for the person in the business with the worst reputation.
those dawgs. I hope the good lord stop them in their evils paths. theifing the poor people’s money. If anything happens to them UNU will pay too.
the threats follow an exposé they collaborated on in respect of butane companies, who they claim have been cheating………
BUTANE DEALERS?????????………SOUNDS MORE LIKE DRUG DEALER TACTICS TO ME…………
The ZETAS have nothing on these guys.
Thank GOD Belize people like to talk………….AND EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY.
THE PRESS SHOULD BE FREE TO REPORT WHAT EVER THEY SEE FIT…… …..
and …………………………..
BY THE WAY………WE NEED MORE much more INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING.
The pen is mightier than a sword……Any peace loving NGO gonna come out and show some solidarity ?????
Both gentlemen should purchase and wear on a daily basis bullet resistant vests….OH WAIT THEY CANNOT DO THAT BECAUSE THE CURRENT LAW PROHIBITS LAW ABIDING CITIZENS FROM TAKING PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES for their safety… So they are perfect targets for criminals.
Having a gun would help you defend yourself but USING A GUN EFFECTIVELY is just like any other martial art, it takes months if not years of practice and training to get to a point where you will effectively defend your life while being fired upon by multiple adversaries.
So yea BREAK THE LAW gentlemen and wear bullet resistant vests… AFTERALL WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR OWN LIFE?????????????
If this type of activity, murdering reporters or people of the media, ever happens, then Belize will certainly be headed down a very, very serious path. Freedom of the press is very essential in a young democracy.
Do some research as to what happens to a country once the press is muted.
To my recollection I think the prime minister, Barrow, attempted to mute talking to News 5. Thats peanuts compared to task these persons are attempting to complete. Now individuals are attempting an alternate route. Hmmmm. I really don’t think the every day Belizean masses realize the magnitude or the ramifications if this task is carried out. The serious shift in paradigm that will occur in the entire country.