There is another worrisome report. A document published by Friends for Conservation and Development in March of 2017 speaks about an increase in cattle ranching along the western border. The report, based on aerial observations and ground assessments, shows the alarming development that if not contained will pose a serious trend in the transformation of […]
While some of the well known threats to the Chiquibul such as xaté and poaching have received attention, narco-cattle ranching has not been addressed by the government despite many reports. It requires a concerted effort from many governmental agencies. Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director, Friends for Conservation and Development “We need to understand that if […]
The Crimes Investigation Branch in Belize City will proceed with a criminal investigation against two of their own. Police confirmed on Tuesday that constables Tyrell Rowley and Samir Medina are expected to be charged with wounding and harm following the beat down of a San Pedrano resident on New Year’s Day. But it appears that […]
Investigations continue into the murder of Jaime Martinez. The twenty-three-year-old Guatemalan national was initially tagged as John Doe when his body was fished out of the Belize River on New Year’s Day in the vicinity of Blackman Eddy Village. He had been strangled and was discovered with his hands tied behind his back. Investigators have […]
ACP Joseph Myvett also gave an update on the investigation into the Christmas Day shooting of twenty-eight-year-old Llamont Wade and twenty-one-year-old Pablo Reyes. The duo was targeted as they exited Reyes’ house on Muffles Street in an ongoing gang feud in that municipality. And while the pair was lucky to escape with their lives, police […]
Vicente Martinez, the whistleblower, held a lengthy press conference on Tuesday calling out names of high ranking police officers he claims are involved with drug cartels that have been landing planes in Belizean territory. Martinez has promised evidence, but that has been hard to come by though he can be credited with verifiable intel on […]
While the police department welcomes a new commissioner who vows a no-nonsense approach to brutality and abuse, there are still officers within the ranks of law enforcement that are prone to the use of excessive force. On Monday night, forty-one-year-old Darrell Ramclam, a resident of Fern Lane in Belize City, was shot in the face […]
Senior cop Chester Williams officially took over as Commissioner of Police today. It came as no surprise that Williams was in line to replace Allen Whylie. Whylie was serving in the position for six years during a period when the number of murders rose to historic records. After obtaining his degree in law, Williams held […]
While he refused to confirm his appointment as Commissioner, minutes before the announcement was made on Tuesday, Chester Williams in a brief comment to the media today, commended his predecessor and expressed gratitude to the ministry and government. Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police “I am honoured and humbled to have been given the opportunity […]
At the end of 2018, one hundred and forty-three persons were killed; this is the second highest count in seven years and it doesn’t factor the amount of persons missing and presumed dead. Most of the incidents were gang related and in the Belize District or as a result of domestic disputes. According to Williams, […]
With the new office comes new responsibilities and that means an end to mediation with gangs; that is, at least for Williams. He told the media today that he will have activist turn politician Dianne Finnegan and Nuri Mohammed work along with the Community Youth Development Programme to mitigate the issue of gang rivalries and […]
The name Edward Martinez may ring a bell. He is a former self-admitted contrabandista and also the brother of a government minister. Martinez has been posting critical information on Facebook in respect of drug plane landings in Belize. Though police have not always been successful in apprehensions, Martinez has been on the bottom with some […]
Incarcerated Mexican drug trafficker Vicente Zambada dropped a bombshell in a U.S. Supreme Court last Thursday when he testified against Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman. Under oath, Zambada touched on El Chapo’s expansive drug operations in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. The C.E.O. in the Ministry of National Security says that Zambada has been locked up overseas […]
With today’s revelation, though largely unsubstantiated, the incoming top cop will have to address the issue of his officers being involved in drug trafficking. With Edward Vincent Martinez coming forward to expose the department of corruption and complicity at this critical juncture, will he be prepared to work with ComPol Williams in providing useful information? […]
On Monday, the Police Department said that two cops who brutalized two brothers from San Pedro and caught on widely circulated videos, will not face criminal charges. Less than twenty-four hours later, however, incoming ComPol, Chester Williams, announced a change. Police Constables Tyrell Rowley and Samir Medina will be taken to court now that the […]
But while PCs Tyrell Rowley and Samir Medina are expected to be charged criminally with wounding and harm, incoming Commissioner Chester Williams also spoke on the scope of the internal investigation by the Professional Standards Branch. Both constables have been charged disciplinarily for Prejudicial to the Good Order and Discipline of Police Officers. But what […]
On the issue of police misconduct, Williams also gave an update on the case of three officers, namely: Corporal Clinton Thomas and Police Constables Kishane Peck and Albert Augustine. All three officers, who were attached to the Special Branch Unit of the Department, were on interdiction pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the […]
A twenty-six-year-old waitress from San Pedro claims she was raped over the weekend on the island. The woman was in front of the San Pedro Poly Clinic, when she was forced inside a tunnel by a man who twice raped her. A medical examination has revealed she was carnally known. One person has been detained.
Two family members from Corozal have been charged with drug trafficking following a search at their home in the Altamira area. Thirty-six-year-old Michael Nugent Senior and his son, eighteen-year-old Michael Junior, were at the house during a search for firearms. Police did not find firearms, but inside a bedroom, they found about two point two […]
Two police officers on the island of San Pedro were captured on video beating up one of three brothers. The disturbing images show the brutal use of force on Jamir Leal, who had already been subdued face down on the ground and unconscious. It prompted the Human Rights Commission and the Bar Association as well […]
Even as police remain vigilant on the illegal landing of drug planes across the country, on Saturday night, there were several reports from residents that a suspicious plane was seen flying low in Dangriga. A report coming to News Five is that the plane made a wet-drop just outside of Dangriga, but that has not […]
One of the Yearwood siblings is behind bars tonight even though he claims he was the victim of an assault. Garry Yearwood, who is a union leader, is also the brother of Fitzroy Yearwood, the well-known cop who had his own share of problems with the department. In recent days, Garry claims that his ex […]
Sometime around eight on Friday night, San Ignacio Police was on mobile patrol when they came across a vehicle carrying fourteen Honduran nationals. The patrol unit was in the Santa Elena area when they came across a heavily tinted vehicle and a Benque Viejo resident behind the wheel. When police stopped the vehicle, they came […]
The weekend was relatively quiet following the five murders on New Year’s Day. In Orange Walk, however, police have arrested a woman suspected of drug trafficking. Authorities say that this morning around twelve-thirty, a vehicle stopped when they saw a police check-point in Orange Walk. One of the occupants in the vehicle exited and threw […]
A grocer was robbed on Friday night after nine-thirty. Police say they have two persons detained and are looking for another in connection with the robbery of Plum Tree store at thirty-four East Canal in Belize City. ASP Alejandro Cowo says the robbers stole cash, as well as firearm. ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., […]
