The family of Maria Caal, a 50-year-old market vendor from Cotton Tree Village, is reaching out for financial assistance to cover funeral expenses estimated at $1,700 USD following her untimely death in a tragic road accident.
Caal, the mother of seven, including one residing in Houston, was well-loved and known for her dedication to her family and work at the Belmopan market.
The fatal accident occurred on Thursday night near Mile 47 on the George Price Highway. Caal was travelling in a Toyota pickup driven by 70-year-old Manuel Juarez, a vegetable vendor, when their vehicle collided with a speeding Chevy Camaro. The impact killed Caal, who was trapped inside the wreckage, and left Juarez hospitalised. The occupants of the Camaro, identified as Jose and Leli Mendez, reportedly fled the scene on foot into nearby bushes.
In an emotional interview, Caal’s son, Samuel Cal, recounted the devastating moment he learnt of his mother’s death.
“I saw a message on Facebook. One of the people posted that they saw an accident happen near Mile 47 on the George Price Highway, saying that the victim was Maria Caal. So I called one of my people that I know closely, and I told them that something happened and my mother had gotten into an accident, and I rushed and tried my best to reach there,” Cal shared.
The family is asking for prayers and any contributions to help with the funeral expenses. Donations can be made via PayPal, Venmo, or by check.
Caal is the second Belmopan market vendor to lose her life in a fatal collision in recent weeks. On December 3, 2024, Miriam Cordon, known as Miss Pretty, also died in a road accident on the George Price Highway.
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has dismissed an application for special leave to appeal a judgement involving misrepresentation and fraudulent conveyance of property in Belize. The decision, issued on December 17, 2024, and explained in further detail today, also denied a request to stay the enforcement of the judgement.
The case centres on a 120-acre property in Serango Bight, Stann Creek District, owned by Belizean businessman George Dueck. Dueck had entrusted the late Thomas Pound, a U.S.-based real estate broker and missionary, to assist with the property’s development for tourism. Acting on Pound’s advice, Dueck transferred ownership to him to facilitate potential investments from U.S. buyers. However, Pound later transferred the property to a Belize-registered entity he controlled, Kingdom First Ministries International (KFMI).
In 2014, the Belize High Court found Pound liable for misrepresentation and fraudulent conveyance. Although the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling in April 2024, it reduced the damages payable to Dueck.
The latest legal challenge was filed by Kyle and Darin Pound, representing Pound’s estate and KFMI. They sought special leave from the CCJ to appeal, as they had missed the 42-day deadline to file an appeal with the Court of Appeal, as required by the Caribbean Court of Justice (Appellate Jurisdiction) Rules, 2024.
The applicants attempted to circumvent the rules by making a late appeal to the Court of Appeal, which had no jurisdiction to extend the deadline. After their application was denied, they filed for special leave from the CCJ, claiming the refusal constituted grounds for their appeal.
The CCJ deemed this approach an abuse of process and dismissed the application. Additionally, the court reviewed the intended grounds of appeal and determined they had no realistic prospect of success. As a result, the CCJ refused to grant special leave and dismissed the request to stay the original judgement.
Residents of Independence and neighbouring communities now have easier access to critical transport services with the opening of a new Department of Transport office at the George Murray Bus Terminal.
The office is designed to improve service delivery for thousands of residents in the southern region. At the opening ceremony, local leaders and community members gathered for a ribbon-cutting event, where government officials spoke of the benefits of this new facility.
The office will offer key services, including vehicle registration, the issuance of driving and motor vehicle licenses, traffic management, and enforcement. This expansion ensures that residents no longer need to travel long distances to access these essential services.
Transport Minister Rodwell Ferguson said that the new office will improve access and convenience for residents.
Yesterday, police found a quantity of marijuana branded as “Gorilla Glue” during a search operation at a residence in the Lake Independence area of Belize City.
A tip led officers to a two-bedroom home on Lavender Street where they searched a room identified by the 46-year-old homeowner as belonging to his teenage son.
During the search, officers discovered an opening in the ceiling. There they found five parcels of marijuana. Four of the parcels were sealed with the label “Gorilla Glue,” a name associated with a potent and popular strain of cannabis, while one of the parcels had already been opened.
The marijuana was seized, and the homeowner was arrested and taken to the Raccoon Street Police Station. The drugs, which weighed 4.5 pounds in total, were processed in the presence of a Justice of the Peace.
Authorities are treating the case as drug trafficking and are now searching for the homeowner’s 16-year-old son, who is believed to be connected to the stash.
The “Gorilla Glue” strain is known for its high THC content and popularity among recreational users.
Police are on the lookout for two suspects involved in a deadly crash near Mile Forty-seven on the George Price Highway Thursday night. The tragic accident claimed the life of fifty-year-old Maria Caal from Cotton Tree Village. Reports indicate that Caal was in a Toyota pickup driven by seventy-year-old Manuel Juarez, a vegetable vendor at the Belmopan market. They were exiting NEMO Drive near El Rancho when a speeding Chevy Camaro collided with them. The impact killed Caal, while Juarez was rushed to Western Regional Hospital for treatment. The occupants of the Camaro, identified as Jose and Leli Mendez, reportedly fled the scene on foot into nearby bushes. Caal, who also worked at the Belmopan market, was trapped inside the wreckage. Earlier today, News Five spoke with Samuel Cal, who shared his insights on the tragic incident.
On the phone: Samuel Cal, Son of Deceased
“I saw a message on Facebook. One of the people posted that they saw an accident happened near Mile 47 on the George Price Highway, saying that the victim was Maria Caal. So I called one of my people that I know close and I told them that something happened and my mother had gotten into an accident, and I rushed and tried my best to reach there. When I reached, a lot of cars were parked. We reached and the officers were right there doing their job. I see wah pickup bruk up and a next car was on the side of the road, but there was nobody in that car, looked like the guy ran away. So I say, “I hope it’s not my mom.” Well the guy, I told the guy that that’s my mother, Maria Caal. That is her, who was in the accident. When I gone, I saw my mom unconscious. I gone check on the other side and I asked one of the police what had happened with the other driver. He said he ran away. How? Nobody knows. Like how I said, when I reached just a little late but I still got the chance to see my mom in the pickup and then they put her in the police car and took her to Belmopan, but there was no space so they had to send her to Belize. We are really sad, my mother left seven of us, six here and one in Houston and we are really sad and don’t know what to do. We all need the people’s help because my mom was a hard-working lady, she was working at the market in Belmopan.”
The police are still investigating this tragic accident. Sadly, Maria Caal is the second female vendor from the Belmopan market to lose her life in a deadly collision in just five weeks. On December 3rd, 2024, Miriam Cordon, affectionately known as Miss Pretty, also died in a road accident on the George Price Highway.
In Belmopan, a seventeen-year-old high school student from Our Lady of Guadalupe High School suffered a nasty cut on his back during a confrontation with a mentally unstable man. The video shows the third-form student confronting someone when the man briefly chases him with an object and strikes him in the back. Residents have been voicing concerns about the mentally ill individual wandering the streets of Belmopan. The student’s family has chosen not to comment on the incident.
Tonight, the man known to Belizeans as Melbourne Wade Junior, the alleged scammer accused of swindling money from at least eight people in late 2024, is back in the spotlight. Wade reportedly took down payments from these individuals, promising to buy them vehicles, only to disappear along with the cars. One high-profile victim is former City Mayor Zenaida Moya, who has a pending case against Wade in Court #5. This morning, Wade caught a break as three of his alleged victims withdrew their charges of theft and obtaining property by deception. Appearing unrepresented in court, Wade faced two separate hearings where three victims requested no further action, leaving him with four pending cases. Outside the courtroom, the thirty-two-year-old Belama resident and car dealer claimed he’s a changed man. Wade insists his actions were ‘bad business’ rather than deception and says he’s working with the complainants to find a better resolution than jail time. He hopes to prove he’s not the con artist social media has painted him to be, but rather someone who made poor choices and is seeking redemption. On Monday, Floyd Ford appeared in Court #2 and requested no further action against Wade. This morning, two more women followed suit, though they are pursuing their money through civil court. One of the women has already reached an agreement with Wade for repayment in installments. Wade is due back in court on January thirtieth, 2025. His case with former Mayor Moya and three others is still pending. Wade remains optimistic that these cases might also be resolved through civil action.
Melbourne Wade
Melbourne Wade, Criminally Charged
“I was spending my last time in jail, laying back thinking about things that people have accused me of wrongfully doing. It was not really scamming or thiefing people, it was just bad business going wrong, right, and I am willing to own up to every responsibility, like I said. Four cases have been withdrawn against me and people are going the civil matter way. You know, it’s not the problem of paying back people their money or bad business or fixing what has gone wrong, but I have a changed life. I have family that out here that I should be out here for. So I have a little son that is ten and I am willing to do my utmost best to fix my name because all you have in your life is your name. There’s a lot of young folks out here running around and I am one of them trying to make a life for myself. It’s 2025, you know, I’m trying to make my life better and different. If anybody feels like, if I do you anything wrong, there’s the court way, there’s the civil suit way. There is the criminal way but it’s just gonna prolong me, to go to jail, not being able to take care of bills that I created, you know, and I’m not running from anyone.
Tensions are heating up in San Pedro as taxi operators clash with golf cart rental businesses over customers at the island’s entry points. Taxi drivers are frustrated, claiming that golf cart rentals are poaching their customers and cutting into their income. On the other hand, rental operators argue they’re providing a more affordable service, even though their licenses say they should only operate from their offices. News Five’s Paul Lopez visited the island today to get the full story. Here’s what he discovered.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Surveillance cameras outside the municipal airport in San Pedro caught a group of men in a couple of heated brawls. These clashes are the latest flare-ups in the ongoing feud between taxi drivers and golf cart rental businesses.
Emir Vega
Emir Vega, President, San Pedro Taxi Federation
“This started three years ago, we have been disputing on what is the taxi industry. We have been having controversies with golf cart rentals. The golf cart companies basically pick up at any port of entry, whether it is the airstrip, water taxis.”
Vega leads a taxi federation that includes ten associations and over two hundred members. He argues that golf cart rental companies are stationing their staff at entry points to snag customers, even though their trade licenses clearly state they should only operate from their registered offices.
Emir Vega
“They are doing soliciting, which is illegal, to start with. Whenever they come here, they try to sell a golf cart, when we know the trade license specified them to work from their office locations, specific locations. Then the taxi drivers we are a public service, and the ones expected to do the transportation for our visitors and local people, visitors to their different accommodations. We are to stay in a fight.”
According to Vega, it’s perfectly legal for golf cart rentals to pick up customers from entry points if they’ve prebooked. However, it’s against the rules for these companies to hang around and solicit customers on the spot. There’s also the issue of vehicle capacity. News Five has received several videos and images showing golf carts overloaded with luggage and passengers. In one case, a tourist’s luggage even fell off a cart! Meanwhile, taxi operators on the island use spacious mini vans that can comfortably carry both passengers and their belongings. One rental operator, speaking off the record, claimed they offer a much cheaper service than the taxis.
Emir Vega
“I can say they are taking the bread out of our table. All that is supposed to be our work they are taking over and sometimes when they do solicit and they cannot rent a golf cart they offer a taxi run to say ey I can take you for a five bucks. They can do that because they do not pay the fees that a taxi service pays.”
A visit to San Pedro Belize Express water taxi’s new location provided a firsthand look at the situation. Taxis line the streets here, while rental golf carts are scattered around the property. One enterprising operator has even set up shop right at the water taxi terminal. Mayor Wally Nunez says they are operating illegally from that location.
Wally Nunez
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“The had also applied at the council to relocate their office. We had also expressed to them that the trade license will not be able to be relocated there because that takes a process. Whenever you are going to change your address for business purposes you have to apply before. They didn’t apply before. So, we will not be able to grant them a trade license in that location. We don’t want to encourage any golf cart rentals to be moving office there because it will create a problem with other golfcart rentals and the taxis. I understand they want to open a snack shop. If they do that, they still need a trade license. I have asked the police to check with them. If they don’t have a trade license they will have to shut down.”
Mayor Nunez and Area Representative Andre Perez met with federation members this morning after rumors of a protest began circulating. Mayor Nunez assured us that his council is striving to find a solution that benefits everyone involved. This afternoon, he also met with representatives from the water taxi company in Belize City. But is this just a symptom of a bigger problem? Could the island be facing an oversaturation of golf cart rentals and taxi operators? We posed this question to Area Representative Andre Perez.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Area Rep., Belize Rural South
“I have to agree with you that yes indeed it is one of the symptoms affecting us with the oversaturation of golfcarts on a whole. With the proliferation of many golf cart rental companies coming in. It also has to do with the demand. We have to understand that there is this tourism product that tourists come and one of their experience is the novelty of driving around in a golfcart. They are not use to it. It is only available to them in the U.S. if they go on a golf course. So, that in itself is part of the experience. So, we have to work along with them that they want to ride a golf cart or arriving at the port of entry, getting immediately into one. But we have to find a balance. We cannot displace the taxi people.”
On Thursday night, Caye Caulker’s Chairlady, Seleny Villanueva-Pott, issued a stern warning to property owners determined to block public roads and beaches. Her remarks followed a confrontation earlier this week between her council and a resident over the removal of a wooden barricade on a public road. Today, Area Representative Andre Perez echoed her sentiments. But are these property owners feeling empowered by the lack of enforcement from authorities? We asked Perez.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Area Rep., Belize Rural South
“That specific incident that occurred in Caye Caulker is unfortunate, but it highlights the issue we have been tackling. Again, it is not only enforcement, the laws state that certain waterfrontage, anywhere, including rivers, there are certain areas that is public. But we have to highlight that we need to cooperate and work with one another. Caye Caulker is a very small island and there is always grappling for space. There is nowhere that any space should be closed off to the public, no waterfront that should be closed off to the public. But, it is not only Caye Caulker, it is Ambergris Caye and even in Placencia we are having these issues as well where they have private investors coming in and believe these areas are designed just for their guests. We need to make that clear out there that the beach or sea front is public access anywhere. That goes not only for private individuals who want to close of their properties, but investors and businesspeople, resorts, restaurants, everything.”
Paul Lopez
“Are these private investors emboldened by a lackluster response from authorities, including the area rep and the council?”
Andre Perez
“I would not want to address it as a lackluster response. I think the point where we start off is that we have to tackle the problem. It is unfair to throw it to the authorities that we are not enforcing. We are saying that what we have in front of us is something that we have developed for years, that we are trying to fix. We have to get to the root of the problem.”
Perez pointed out that property owners are also blocking off beaches on Ambergris Caye. He added that the island is cluttered with docks because every property owner thinks they deserve one. But he made it clear that this stops today, putting real estate agencies on notice.
Andre Perez, Area Rep., Belize Rural South
“We need to get to the root of the problem, and one is the real estate agencies. We are working with them, and we had to sit down with them, let them know it cannot be that you cannot be selling a property and letting them know that with that property you are able to get a golfcart, a dock, develop anything. This is what real estate must look at. There is a development of a piece of property to the back where they want to develop and put lots, yet it is in the middle of the reserve. That property was given way back. They want to develop it, and the real estate agency says you can get golf cart rental and all of these things, when you are not guaranteed these things. So, it starts with the real estate agencies. They need to get their act together and let them know that when you sell a property to somebody you cannot guarantee these things. We have people soliciting our offices saying minister or mayor can you help me, these people want a golf cart, they want this, that is a different matter. When you have the investors coming in and saying they promised me a golf cart, a dock, that was only to sell. We must look at that, because the real estate companies are not driving the real issue of buying a property and what it entails, the responsibilities. Buying a waterfront property does not guarantee you tat you will be building a dock. In fact, we are making it clear, no more docks. We need to do beach reclamation and beach reclamation does not mean that belongs to you. Even the restaurant trying to take that space and say we will have more beach, we need to put something there, you can. You can do it temporarily, but you need to pay something to the village council or town council. But it cannot be permanent.”
