A Manhattan jury has convicted Donald Trump on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in his New York hush money trial. Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled the sentencing for July 11.
Prosecutors charged Trump with participating in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and executing an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which involved concealing a hush money payment to an adult film star.
This felony conviction of a former president or major party frontrunner is unprecedented, yet Trump remains eligible to run for office.
Trump condemned the jury’s decision as a “disgrace,” asserting that the “real verdict” will come during the presidential election on November 5. President Joe Biden responded on social media, stating that his 2024 rival can only be defeated at the ballot box.
Carrot farmers in Orange Walk and Corozal districts will lose all that they have invested in this year’s crop if they are unable to get their produce to market soon. Dozens of acres of carrots remain in the field unharvested, which is uncommon in the north at this time of the year. The Ministry of Agriculture says the market is oversaturated due to unfavorable weather conditions late last year. The Belize Marketing and Development Corporation refutes claims that it is importing carrots currently. The farmers believe that contraband carrots from Mexico have taken their place in the market. News Five’s Paul Lopez traveled north today. He filed the following report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
2024 has been a difficult year so far for carrot farmers, particularly those in the Orange Walk and Corozal districts. Carrots are not selling at the rate they traditionally would, leaving many farmers with acres of unharvested crops that are starting to go bad.
Sabino Yam
Sabino Yam, Patchakan Farmer
“I guess all the farmers that have carrots right now are basically in the same problem. Basically it is the selling of the carrots we are having problem right now. I have contacted some of my buyers and they are not buying.”
Sabino Yam owns a carrot farm in Patchakan Village in the Corozal District. On a normal year, Yam would have already sold all his carrots on the local market. This year, he has only been able to sell eight sacks of carrots. So, what has led to this shift in the market? The Ministry of Agriculture says there’s a glut of carrots on the local market.
Andrew Mejia
Andrew Mejia, Acting Director of Extensions, Ministry of Agriculture
“The situation we are having now is as a result of what happened last year. During the months from August to October we had a drought preventing the farmers that were to plant early based on the schedule we had created with the Ministry. After that we had an issue with flooding. That compounded the situation. So everybody planted the same time, around the end of November to December.”
To ensure that every farmer gets a fair share of market demands, they take turns planting and harvesting. Carrots in the Cayo District should have already been sold out by now, leaving only carrots from farmers in northern Belize on the market. But that is not the case this year.
William Can
William Can, Agriculture Officer for Cayo District, Ministry of Agriculture
“From the data we have Cayo planted sixty-three acres and from that sixty-three acres at the moment we have around eight acres to manage in the Cayo District so we can safely say that the peak of production in the Cayo District has passed. We will have two to three weeks of production left in Cayo and from that the only two districts left is Corozal and Orange Walk.”
The Ministry of Agriculture says that produce in Cayo should be sold out within a week. That will make space in the market for carrots from Orange Walk and Corozal. But farmers are not sold on the ministry’s explanation. Jose Gonzalez, a farmer in Indian Creek Village is doubtful.
Jose Gonzalez
Jose Gonzalez, Indian Creek Village
“Si, puedo nostros. We have our doubts. We heard that Cayo have carrots. But in the past they use to come buy eighty, a hundred sacks of carrots from us. And now they are just taking twenty, twenty-five sacks. So we have our doubts and think that contraband has something to do with how they are not buying carrots from us right now.”
Carrot farmers are convinced that the illegal importation of vegetables from Mexico is the reason they are facing these challenges. During our visit to a farm in San Carlos, a group of farmers complained bitterly about the negative effects of contraband carrots. While cleaning their produce to take to the market, the men argued that the government is not doing enough to stop contrabandistas. Mejia says the argument about contraband carrots is, to an extent, justified.
Andrew Mejia
“I do believe so and I won’t discredit them. What the Ministry of Agriculture has done is that we are in the process of re-activating our contraband interdiction team, compromised of customs, immigration, police, BAHA to see what is actually happening with this accusation. Otherwise we don’t have any concrete information on that. So until the team is activated we will be able to get a handle on what is happening with that. But I can assure the farmers that the saturation is due to oversupply at this time.”
The Belize Marketing and Development Corporation is also responding to allegations that it has received import permits from the Ministry of Agriculture to bring in carrots from Mexico. B.M.D.C. Is responsible for importing goods that are not available on the local market. Valentin Carillo, the administrator at B.M.D.C., says the last time they imported carrots was in November 2023.
Valentin Carillo
Valentin Carillo, Administrator, B.M.D.C.
“I have heard concerns about the carrots issue and I have also heard that we have License right now. I came here to clear it out. We are not importing carrots from last year November.”
Paul Lopez
“How often during the season?”
Valentin Carillo
“Like last year we had a meeting with the farmers and we put a cut off date. It depends on how the season goes. As if see it right now it will go a month, a month and a half depending on local production.”
Sabino Yam
“It is claimed that they are not giving license to import but still we are seeing Mexican products on the market. So what is happening? That is rhe reason we want to know. But some of the farmers do have evidence that those importers there are bringing stuff through the border. I am from Patchakan. Patchakan is right next to the borderline to Mexico. I can say maybe six four years back there was a lot of contraband. Now I have not seen much. As a result I can conclude that this contraband is passing through the border.”
During our trip north, we also sought to find out why a demand for carrots from Mexico exists locally. Whereas fifty pounds of carrots can be bought locally for thirty-five to forty dollars on average, fifty pounds of Mexican carrots can cost as much as eighty dollars. But is paying double the price for carrots worth it? Farmers say it’s currently all over the local market. B.M.D.C.’s administrator says carrots from Mexico are not superior.
Sabino Yam, Patchakan Farmer
“Well they look totally different. They are more different. They look kinda waxed. We can say. We producers can identify our products right. As we go to the market we can easily spot Mexican product.”
Paul Lopez
“What is it about, from your experience, is it about handling Mexican carrots that makes it so desirable? Is it superior?”
Valentin Carillo, Administrator, B.M.D.C.
“It is not superior. It is done in the optimum time to produce it because in November, December, January, February I believe we have some good quality. Even now I saw some good quality. So it is not like it’s superior. Similar with the onion, we have good quality onion. So there is nothing to envy from across there.”
Paul Lopez
“So what makes the Mexican carrots double the price?”
The United Democratic Party alleges that a P.U.P. minister from Orange Walk called on law enforcement officers to stand down after smugglers were caught carrying sacks of sugar across the border to Mexico. According to a release from the party, a Belize Defense Force patrol along the Rio Hondo seized a large quantity of sugar from a group of individuals crossing an irregular border point. The release asserts that one of the individuals made a call and shortly thereafter, the soldiers were instructed to stand down because the group had an export permit for sugar from BAHA. The opposition is questioning whether such an export permit exists and why the individuals decided to use an illegal border crossing. We spoke with Valentin Carillo, the administrator of the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation. B.M.D.C. distributes sugar on the local market.
Valentin Carillo
Valentin Carillo, Administrator, B.M.D.C.
“On that I cannot say. What I would say on B.M.D.C.s part is not part of that. As I explained we bought ninety- two tons of white sugar for the domestic market for distribution from October last year to April this year which is roughly about two hundred and sixty-eight bags for branch. We divide into four branch Orange Walk, Belize, San Pedro and Bjg Falls. So that averages about sixty bags per month. When you divide it by week it is only fifteen bags a week distribute in each branch. fifteen bags.”
Reporter
“Are you aware of why there is a demand for Belize sugar in certain parts of Mexico?”
Valentin Carillo
“Well that is the high acquisition price over there. Over there is two dollars and change per pound and our one is sixty eight cents, seventy-five cents. We can assist if they say you know what let us give BMDC fifty percent of the distribution then it is a government entity. We can monitor who to sell and where to sell and even maybe bag it in one pound to dissuade people from moving this across the border. All of these things.”
The Senate Special Select Committee’s public hearing on the Portico “Definative Agreement” is being postponed, again. This time it’s because former UDP Minister, Erwin Contreras has declined to participate, according to the committee.
The next hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. at the National Assembly building in Belmopan.
The committee says that it had anticipated the attendance of Contreras, who has since indicated his unwillingness to attend.
“The Committee is most disappointed at this information as Mr. Contreras has already admitted that he signed the “Definative Agreement”, which committed the Government and the people of Belize to grant Portico financial concessions worth hundreds of millions of dollars for 30 years. Mr. Contreras is the only person and former Government Minister who can explain why he signed the Agreement.”
The committee is urging Contreras to reconsider his decision and attend the hearing.
The government of Belize today reaffirmed its solidarity with the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
In a statement, the Belizean government expressed “concern over the recent escalation of actions by the People’s Republic of China in the Taiwan Strait. These actions pose a threat to international peace and stability in the region and undermine the right to self-determination upheld by the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan).”
As we have reported, tensions are escalating in the Taiwan Strait, as China has initiated two days of military drills encircling Taiwan, only days after the democracy inaugurated a new leader who has long been disfavored by Beijing.
China’s military says the drills are designed to test its ability to “seize power” over Taiwan.
Belize is urging the People’s Republic of China to cease these provocations to prevent further escalation of tensions and to respect the democratic values cherished by the people of Taiwan.
“Belize stands in solidarity with the people and Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).”
Mexico is set to elect its first female president, with Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, leading in the polls. Her main opponent is Xóchitl Gálvez of the conservative PAN party. Despite this historic milestone, the election is overshadowed by unprecedented violence, with at least 34 political candidates or applicants murdered since June 2023. Chiapas, a crucial area for smuggling from Guatemala, exemplifies the desperate pleas from citizens for safety from gang control.
The country faces around 30,000 homicides annually, and a staggering 95% of crimes go unpunished. Femicide rates remain high, with significant impunity for such crimes. Mexico leads globally in political gender equality due to a 2019 constitutional reform, but it remains dangerous for women.
Both Sheinbaum and Gálvez have not provided detailed plans for addressing security issues and have not dismissed the military’s role in combating organised crime. Experts argue that militarization alone won’t resolve issues of impunity and corruption. The current administration’s attempts to demilitarise have largely failed, with criminal organisations maintaining their influence.
The paradox of electing a female president amid pervasive gender-based violence underscores the complex realities of gender and security in Mexico.
CEO of the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries Sharole Carr was in Lima, Peru, earlier this month where she participated in a meeting focused on the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management. The framework, adopted by the UN, aims to improve the management and security of conventional ammunition in Latin America and the Caribbean.
During the meeting, CEO Carr shared Belize’s progress in modernizing ammunition management, revising legislation, and enhancing inter-agency cooperation. Her participation underscored the importance of regional collaboration and Belize’s commitment to high standards in ammunition security. Carr’s role also highlights Belize’s dedication to integrating gender perspectives and promoting women’s participation in security practices.
Selvin Ismael Ramos has been charged with the murder of Eladio Samael Ramos.
It happened on Sunday in Independence Village. According to the police, the Ramos brothers were engaged in a fight when Selvin shot and killed his brother Eladio with an unlicensed firearm.
ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander of the Eastern Division, explained the situation: “On Sunday, May 26th, 2024, police responded to a report at the Independence Polyclinic. Upon their arrival, they found the lifeless body of Eladio Ramos, who had suffered a gunshot wound. The investigation revealed that Eladio had a fight with his brother Selvin, who then retrieved a shotgun and fired the fatal shot. Selvin Ramos is in custody, statements are being recorded, and the matter will be sent to the DPP for directives.”
