Businessman, thirty-three-year-old Cruz Magaña, was fatally shot last night in Fresh Pond in Burrell Boom Village. It happened at around eight o’clock during a home invasion at Magaña’s residence.
Police say that two masked men barged into the residence and held family members at gunpoint. The intruders demanded money. One of the family members managed to escape and seek help from neighbours.
Gunshots were later heard. Magaña was found bleeding. He was rushed to the K.H.M.H., where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Thirty-three-year-old Devain Flores pleaded guilty to two counts of child cruelty when he appeared before the lower courts two weeks ago, after a brief video showing him physically abusing a three-year-old child went viral. Flores was back at the magistrate’s court today, where a mitigation plea was to be heard on his behalf. He waved his right to call on character witnesses when all four persons, including his mother, his common-law wife, a brother and a fourth individual did not make it to court. Despite being given additional time for Flores to get his witnesses to court, he proceeded to ask the Senior Magistrate to continue with sentencing. Flores told the court that he is taking full responsibility for his actions. Nonetheless, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, who is prosecuting the matter is seeking a custodial sentence of not less than twelve months in prison. ComPol Williams is of the view that a fine is not appropriate and that Flores should serve time behind bars. Flores has been remanded back to prison.
Two men are recovering from gunshot injuries after they were pursued and fired upon in retaliation after engaging in a fight on Saturday. Reports are that forty-year-old George Dominguez and thirty-five-year-old Dwayne Tillett were in a fight with another individual and while socializing in a yard about an hour later, they were targeted by a gunman. A.C.P Hilberto Romero provided us with more information.
“On Saturday, the first day of June 2024 police responded to a shooting incident at eighteenth Street San Ignacio Town. Upon arrival, they found George Dominguez and Dwayne Tillett with gunshot injuries. They were taken to a medical facility for treatment, where they remained in a stable condition. Investigation revealed that these two persons were involved in a fight about an hour prior to the shooting and they, they went to this yard. Shortly thereafter, a male person approached them with a firearm and fired several shots towards their direction, causing their injuries. We have several persons in custody in regard to this shooting.”
Reporter
“Motive?”
Hilberto Romero
“It is some fight that they had prior. They had the fight one hour prior, then the shooting occurred.”
Reporter
“Is the suspect a Belize National or is he from neighboring Guatemala?”
Tonight, a man is recovering in the hospital after he was shot on Sunday in Santa Elena, Cayo. He is forty-year-old David Galindo, who was purchasing food when a vehicle approached him and up to fifteen shots were fired in his direction. Galindo was previously shot in 2021, while walking home, but had recovered from his injuries. Tonight, he is in critical condition. Here is A.C.P Hilberto Romero with more details.
“On Sunday, the second day of June 2024 around eleven thirty p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting incident at Salazar Street in the Cayo district. Upon arrival, they found David Galindo with gunshot injuries. He was rushed for medical treatment. Investigation is that Galindo was at a fast-food place at the area when a vehicle arrived with several male persons. One of the male persons got out of the vehicle and fired several shots towards Galindo causing his injury. Galindo is presently receiving treatment in a critical condition.”
Reporter
“Any motive at this time?”
Hilberto Romero
“From what we understand some feud with rival groups in that area.”
Reporter
“Is the police is bringing these sites for a mediation effort?”
Hilberto Romero
“Several persons are in custody. If anybody is to be charged, they will be charged. And if there is any need for mediation then that will be done”
Reporter
“Is Galindo cooperating with police?”
Hilberto Romero
“He is in a critical condition so as soon as he recovers, we will interview him.”
In another case of gun violence this weekend, a young woman is recovering from gunshot wounds after she was approached by three persons and fired upon in San Pedro. On Saturday night, around eight-thirty p.m., twenty-two-year-old Zulmy Camara, her common-law husband, and three other men were socializing in her apartment complex in the San Pedrito area when they were approached by three masked individuals who opened fire on them. Although Camara was the only person to sustain injuries, police do not believe that she was the intended target. Here’s A.C.P. Hilberto Romero with more information.
“On Saturday, the first day of June 2024, police responded to a shooting incident of San Pedro town, upon the arrival they found Zulmy Camara with gunshot injuries. She was taken to the San Pedro polyclinic for treatment and is in a stable condition. Investigation is that she was at an apartment complex in San Pedro hanging out with several other persons. When three persons approached then two who were armed with firearms, they fired several shots causing the injuries to Zulmy Camara with gunshot. No one else was injured and we are seeking the three suspects in regards to the shooting.“
Reporter
“Was she the intended target?”
Hilberto Romero
“We do not suspect she was the intended target. e believe other persons who were at the ER were the intended target.”
Reporter
“Does she recognize the people who shot her?”
Hilberto Romero
“An investigation is being carried out. That is all I will say.”
Reporter
“Are you able to say whether this yard is known for drug peddling?”
Hilberto Romero
“Yes, it is known as a drug peddling area, it is always searched by the police.”
Reporter
“Then do police believe that it may be sparked from some war over
Hilberto Romero
“Again, we have not established a clear motive, but we have two rival groups that we are looking at and so they will be interviewed.”
The violent nature of the weekend extended to southern Belize where a man was chopped in Toledo District. He is Benancio Pop, the victim of an armed assault in San Marcos village after he had engaged in an altercation with another individual earlier that evening. We asked A.C.P Hilberto Romero for more information and he told us that Pop is in a stable condition.
“On Saturday first of June 2024, around eleven thirty p.m. police responded to a report of a chopping at San Marcos Village in the toledo district. Upon your well, they found Benancio Pop with chop wounds to the body. He was taken to the Punta hospital where he is presently in a stable condition. Investigation revealed that been had an altercation with one Jorge Mocu in San Marcos. Mocu inflicted the chop wounds to him. Mocu is in custody and will be charged today.”
Giovanni Ramirez, the whistleblower in the case against convicted attorney Oscar Selgado, finds himself in more trouble with the law and was back before the courts today after receiving bail earlier for being a member of a gang. That’s because over the weekend, Ramirez was ordered to sign in at the police station as a condition of his High Court bail. When he went to do so on May thirty-first, he was detained pending an investigation for an attempted murder that took place back in March. It stemmed from an incident that happened here in Belize City where a police officer alleged that Ramirez was the gunman who was identified by the shooting victim. This evening, Ramirez appeared unrepresented where he was also read a charge of damage to property after reportedly breaking a white wooden from while at the Raccoon Street Police Station. For his guilty plea, Ramirez was fine two hundred and fifty dollars. For the more serious offense, he was read charges of attempted murder and use of deadly means of harm upon Ashton Myers. He was remanded to until August fifth.
As of today, the controlled price of a sixteen-ounce loaf of bread is up by thirty-five cents. The wholesale cost now stands at one dollar and eighty-five cents, while the retail cost now stands at two dollars and ten cents. But it is not the only bakery product that is seeing a hike in the price. Products such as burger bread, hot dog bread and dinner rolls will also see an increase. It is a decision that the majority stakeholders of bakeries across the country say had to be made, because the cost of raw materials and packaging have increased by eight percent.News Five’s Paul Lopez took a closer look at the price increase, by speaking with residents, stakeholders and one government agency that had the final say on these increases. Here is that report.
Paul Lopez reporting
The retail cost of a sixteen-ounce pack bread has gone up by thirty-five cents. Lennox Nicholson is the Controller of Supplies in the Supplies Control Unit.
Lennox Nicholson, Controller of Supplies, Supplies Control Unit
The final decision was taken to increase the price for the sixteen-ounce slice bread by thirty-five cents which will take the retail price that the consumer pays at the grocery store to one dollar and ten cents. The rationale for it is because the bakers have provided us with substantial information as to their cost of production.
Anthony Nicholas, Belize City Resident
My thing about it is that we dah poor people. Deh have to understand, the government have to understand how poor people have to survive.
It is the most affordable bread option on grocery shelves across the country. But as of today, consumers will have to dig a bit deeper to purchase a pack of sixteen-ounce bread.
Phillip “Fada” Henry, Belize City Resident
Can I take a moment of silence? I guess we just had a moment of silence. It is ridiculous for the fact that Belize has a huge amount of poverty and for both political parties that form government in Belize, we have ups and downs with both of them, but now it has gotten to the point with it gets to the bread. Families can’t even afford the ramen and when it comes to the bread that we were paying one seventy-five for you are talking about raising. I think the prime minister needs to go to the drawing board ASAP.
But it is not solely a government decision. In fact, bakers across the country have been clamoring for a wholesale price increase over the last two years. The Belize Bakers Association initially proposed a seventy-five-cent increase. After lengthy negotiations with the government, a price increase of thirty-five cents was agreed upon. We spoke with an association representative over the phone.
On the phone: Vic Chu, Representative, Belize Bakers Association
We suggested an increase of seventy-five cents
Paul Lopez
And what we got was
On the phone: Vic Chu
Thirty-five cents. The entire association is feeling a bit disappointed, because the price of the pack bread for the sixteen ounce has not been adjusted since 2008. When the price of the plastic bag, the butane price or the gas price for the gas, for the delivery was very low, and also the flour price and sugar.
Lennox Nicholson
It is something we have been grappling with at least since April of 2022 when we were first engaged to look at the control price for the sixteen ounce slice bread. In that time the government had taken decision to subsidize the sector, in the first instance to the tune of one point five million dollars and a further subsidy of some four hundred thousand was actually issued to that sector with a view to maintain that price to where it had been for some time. All of those resources have been disbursed to the sector and those programs have come to an end.
According to Chu, bakers are still underpricing their products even with the thirty-five cents increase, because almost two decades have passed without a price adjustment. And it’s not only the sixteen-ounce pack bread that is seeing an increase in price. According to Chu, other bakery products on grocery shelves will be seeing an increase of at least ten cents.
On the phone: Vic Chu
This increase is helping us to keep us momentarily break for the moment. It helps us to relieve a little bit of pressure because we also have to take into consideration that labor has also increased at the beginning of this year to five dollar and hour. After consideration the public reactions the entire industry made just a slight adjustment on the other category of the bread to a ten cents increase. The other categories are for example the burger bread, the hot dog, the polvo round.
Anthony Nicholas, Belize City Resident
People buy pack bread everyday cause dah everyday we need to eat and that is one for the cheaper options, sausage and pack bread so we cant go wrong with that brother.
Since its formulation in March, the Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry held its first meeting on May twenty-ninth. The session was held virtually, led by Coordinator, Hugh O’Brien and Chairman, Wayne Piper. O’Brien said the first meeting was a good one and the commissioners all charted a plan of action going forward. O’Brien said that when the commissioners visit Belize next week, they will conduct site visits with the various cane farmer associations as well as to cane fields in the north and west of Belize.
Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator, Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry
Since only the secretary of the commission is in Belize, Mr. Wayne paper -chairman is in Belize as well as Mr. Jeffrey Joseph, who is the agronomist, those are the only three people in Belize. The other commissioners are all from abroad. One is from South Africa, one from, the UK and two of them are from Mauritius. So the meeting was held virtually and it actually lasted for just about three hours and very good first meeting. It was the first time commissioners sat together and they started to – first they reviewed what was their scope of work, and they set in place a partial plan as to how they intend to get their work carried out. In particular next week, there will be a visit to the different cane farmers associations. There’ll be visits to the fields, both in the north where sugar is produced by small farmers as well as the fields in the west where sugar is produced more by larger farmers and by Santander and there will be physical visits to the factory, to both factories. These guys who have been appointed to the, commission of inquiry, they have great expertise in both, in the case of two of the commissioners their deep expertise in how sugar mills operate across the world. And the other two guys also have great expertise in terms of all sugar is grown and yields and the various components of having a very successful very integrated and very successful sugar industry. And they also have requisite experience in terms of some of the legislative matters that can help to guide the development of a more sustainable sugar industry
O’Brien indicated that the overall role of the Commission of Inquiry is to delve into some of the specifics of the sugar industry in Belize. This is expected to assist them in coming up with specific recommendations on how Belize can have a more sustainable sugar industry and look at the value chain. The result, he said, is to make the industry more efficient and more beneficial to the country.
Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator, Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry
We are still hovering around 100, 000 tons of sugar, 1 million tons of sugarcane. And we’ve been, we’ve fluctuated between 900, 000 tons of sugarcane to up to almost 1. 3. But as a country, we have not been able to jump 1. 27 or something like 1. 3. We’ve been stuck and then we go up, then we come down and that is not good for the factory. It’s not good for the farmers. Our yields are between 15 and 20 tons per acre on an average. In the north, and our the factory claims they are very efficient, but we do know that there are times that they cannot receive more than a certain amount of cane on a daily basis, and there are many years that cane got left in the field. And that is value that could have been saved and so forth. Right now, the price of sugar on the world market is very, good. So there’s great incentive for our industry to grow. The price of sugar that is bulk has good world market price, and the price of sugar that is packaged or is ready to consume. I also have very good retail price in fact, Mexico, Guatemala, in the Caribbean and Belize is exporting sugar to four or five Caribbean countries. We export it to Europe, to Taiwan, various parts of the world, U.K and the U.S. So there’s an opportunity right now, the markets are looking really, good for, the sugar industry. And maybe this commission of inquiries is opportune to try to set really good conditions for a continued growth and a very having a try to trying to create as best as possible a very sustainable and rewarding industry for all parties.
