Juan Carlos Castellanos tragically lost his life in a traffic collision on Tuesday night in Orange Walk Town. The accident occurred around 9 p.m. as Castellanos was riding his motorcycle along Tate Street. He collided with the side of a freight truck.
The 50-year-old truck driver reported that he was making a left turn onto Munoz Lane when Castellanos struck the right side of the truck. Castellanos was immediately taken to the Northern Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The truck driver is currently in police custody.
Police have arrested a 40-year-old man from the Orange Walk District on two counts of possession of controlled drugs.
On Tuesday, October 29, around 6:15 p.m., officers executed a search warrant at the home of Nelson Balan, a Belizean fireman. Upon their arrival, Balan was observed fleeing into a room and discarding two transparent plastic bags. These bags were retrieved and found to contain suspected cannabis.
A subsequent search revealed two additional small plastic bags with suspected cannabis and one bag containing suspected cocaine. The suspected cannabis weighed 24 grams, while the suspected cocaine weighed 0.72 grams. Nelson Balan was arraigned and fined $1,200 BZD, along with $5.00 in court costs.
Police say that 53-year-old Gustavo Cardenas from Douglas Village caused the untimely death of 19-year-old Kristian Beaza. Baeza was killed on Sunday night near the San Roman junction on the Philip Goldson Highway in a road traffic accident.
Investigators say that Cardenas was drunk and driving without a license at the time of the crash.
Cardenas rear-ended Beaza’s motorcycle, launching him off the bike and onto the pavement, where he sustained multiple injuries that proved fatal. Beaza was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.Cardenas was charged with causing death by careless conduct and manslaughter by negligence. He also faces charges for driving without a license, driving under the influence, and failing to provide a specimen.
This is not Cardenas’ first fatal accident. In 2003, he was behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee that collided head-on with a van, killing two men, one of whom was police officer Lincoln Kellyman.
Police in Orange Walk are looking for three men who robbed a store and escaped with $10,000 in cash. The masked assailants targeted the store on San Andres Street. Security footage of the incident shows two of the suspects wearing long-sleeve hoodies, while the third wore a bright yellow construction jacket. Two of the suspects were armed with handguns.
The men barged into the store, confronting a customer at the counter and forcing him to the ground at gunpoint.
One of the armed men stood watch while the other two targeted the cashier. The second thief reached over the counter and grabbed the bag full of cash.
Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) is addressing rising consumer concerns about limited sugar availability in supermarkets. For weeks, shoppers have faced restrictions of one or two pounds per purchase. This occurs despite BSI’s previous assurances of ‘no actual sugar shortage.’
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Manager at ASR/BSI, confirmed that as of this week, there are approximately 7.5 million pounds of white sugar and 2.2 million pounds of brown sugar in stock, sufficient to meet demand for the next three and a half months. Despite this, some retailers are still imposing limits.
Chavarria told News 5 today, “Somewhere along the supply chain, sugar is not consistently reaching the intended customers.” Investigations indicate that sugar smuggling may be worsening the perceived shortage.
To combat this issue, BSI has proposed introducing pre-packaged retail sizes for sugar. “That product will be much more difficult for anybody to try to smuggle,” Chavarria claimed. He noted that this packaging format has received positive feedback in the CARICOM market.
However, implementing retail packaging will require changes to the existing price control system. BSI is seeking government support to liberalise prices for packaged sugar while maintaining regulations for industrial sugar. If approved, packaged brown sugar could be priced around $1 per pound, and white sugar at about $1.10.
While Belize celebrated its 43 years of independence, Orange Walk resident Efigenia Cal celebrated her 109th birthday. Born on September 21, 1915, Cal has seen over a century of change. She was married at the age of 15 and raised nine children.
“My birthday passed just this Saturday. I turned one hundred and nine,” Cal said during an interview with News 5.
Reflecting on her life, Cal shared memories of her late husband, Emiliano Cal, who died at the age of 35. When asked about her health, she remarked, “I feel bad; I get pain; my knees and feet hurt sometimes.”
Her granddaughter, Maria Carrillo, expressed her gratitude for having her grandmother in her life. “It means a lot for me because she’s been so long with me. I care for her and mind her.” Carrillo noted that Cal enjoys a diet rich in callaloo, spinach, beets, and sweet potatoes.
“She could do the work. For example, I’m a sell vendor, and I sell corn and tamalitos… And then she helps me. She grinds it. And she peels the corn. She bakes by herself. So far, I don’t have to bathe her; she bathes herself, cleans herself, and eats by herself,” Carrillo added.
While Carrillo feels a mix of pride and concern, she stated, “One of these days she has to go… but she still has faith and is strong.”
A tragic road accident in the Orange Walk District has claimed the life of 18-year-old Alvin Guardado. Guardado, a labourer from Blue Creek, was reportedly driving in an area between San Felipe and August Pine Ridge, known as “El Rancho,” when he crashed into a cow. He was severely injured, including a large open wound to his forehead.
Guardado was rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital by ambulance. However, despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The incident happened on Monday night.
Guardado’s father explained that his son was on his way home after visiting his girlfriend.
During the sixteenth “Bat-a-thon”, a group of 80-some researchers converged at Belize’s Lamanai Archaeological Reserve in early May to study close to 80 species of winged mammals—bats.
Gliselle Marin, a PhD biology student at York University in Toronto, is the only Belizean participant of the study in northern Belize.
Marin, who sports bat-themed earrings and a bat tattoo, emphasised the unique behaviours and adaptive abilities of bats, which she believes are crucial for understanding broader ecological impacts. “When I actually started working with them and realising we have close to 80 species of bats,” she says, “I was like, ‘Okay, it’s kind of crazy that I’ve been in science my whole life and was never taught that we have this diversity of bats in Belize.’”
Marin’s research focusses on the dietary flexibility of bats, analysing bat faeces to determine their food sources. This allows a better understanding of how habitat fragmentation affects the diet and overall survival of bats.
As Belize faces increasing deforestation and climate challenges, Marin’s grassroots conservation efforts act as a bridge to local knowledge through scientific research.
For Marin, the core message is straightforward: Everything is interconnected—people, bats, and the forest. “We’re as special as everything else around us,” she says.
In July, the Ministry of Investment, through its Investment Policy and Compliance Unit, teamed up with the Taiwan Technical Mission and the National Women’s Commission to launch an animation bootcamp for women and teens. That initial opening was held in Belize City to provide the participants with in-person and online training. This is with a view to creating opportunities for them to learn basic digital skills in graphic art and animation to be able to produce short, animated movies and attract employment. The event moved to Orange Walk on Thursday, and News Five’s Marion Ali filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Thirty women in Orange Walk who have expressed interest in animation and art have an opportunity over the next few days to learn to hone their skills in this area with a view to create their own livelihood by putting their training to work. They are taking part in an animation boot camp at Orange Walk Technical High School. The project is part of the government’s effort to push for an orange economy, using creative assets to contribute to economic activity and growth. Spearheading the six-day training is Jeavon Sanker.
“There are huge opportunities for our country’s economic development. I also have friends in other countries that have animation studios, for example, Trinidad, Martinique, Jamaica, and they talk about projects being outsourced to them in the Caribbean from other countries, all the way from America. A lot of times people – and I have worked on a lot of projects as well from people abroad, and they like working with me. Guess why? It’s affordable to them. You see the exchange rate, they love the exchange rate and that doesn’t mean we’re not getting paid good. Yes, we’re getting paid good, but the thing is, we have the opportunity to tap into a market.”
If the event is successful, it could improve the unemployment rate for women who currently need jobs, as Prime Minister John Briceño alluded to.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“When you look at the statistics, it is over forty percent of women that are not working. So could you imagine that if you can harness, if you could unleash that power, that talent that you have, those that are staying home because of different reasons – they have to take care of their children, so there’s no daycare centers that you can take your children. But if you could imagine that we could unleash that talent that you have and put it and invest it in the economy, Belize can double its economy in less than ten years. And what you’re doing here with the orange economy and animation and using technology means that in many instances you do not have to leave the home to be able to have a job that can empower you economically. Presently with the call centers there are a number of people that are working from home. Animation could be one of them.”
The project’s implementation came with financial support from the Taiwanese government, and Ambassador Lily Li-Wen Hsu says that already, it has made some positive impact.
Lily Li-Wen Hsu
Lily Li-Wen Hsu, Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize
“I understand this is this series of program has been held in other places of the nation, and it’s already a boom for many, many young women and that interested in animation. So I’m very excited that this program today comes to Orange Walk. This collaborative initiative is between the Taiwan I.C.D.F., the Office of the Prime Minister, and Ministry of Investment, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and the National Women’s Commission. And it is part of our ongoing bilateral Taiwan Belize Women’s Empowerment Project that has been running for more than two and a half years.”
We begin our newscast this evening with the murder of an Orange Walk man on Tuesday night in Orange Walk. Carlos Canelo was shot and killed soon after he arrived at his residence on Monkey River Street where he had been staying for the past few months. He had gone a short distance to get something to eat and returned home, but within minutes, residents heard several gunshots. By the time police arrived, Canelo was already dead. Investigators are trying to solve this latest homicide, as they appeal to the public for information leading to a suspect. Canelo, according to Mayor Ladrick Shepherd, had all the potential of becoming an international football star, but he lost the family support when key relatives passed away and dropped out of the sporting world. News Five’s Marion Ali went to Orange Walk in search of answers for this latest murder. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Twenty-year-old Carlos Canelo kept a close circle of friends but had reportedly become the enemy of someone in the neighbourhood, purportedly over a woman with whom he had established a close friendship. While speculation is rife that this was likely the reason why he was murdered, police are yet to disclose the details and the motive. A resident of Monkey River Street told reporters that she opened her doors to Canelo when he told her some months ago that he had nowhere to stay. On Tuesday night, he had just returned home with food when he was killed.
Voice of: Friend
Voice of: Friend
“Ih tell mi ih gone buy burger, come back, sit down out deh. I nuh know who he mi di sit down with, gone da back deh and shortly after me hear bang, bang, bang. When I look, smoke, I can’t see da who shoot ah or what.”
The friend said she froze after she heard the gunshots, and then called out for Canelo by one of his nicknames. When he didn’t respond, she said she knew the situation was grave.
Voice of: Friend
“I did holler for ah, “Perro, Perro.” He nuh answer me. That da weh meke it worse. I gone put [on] the flash [light] see ih deh eena wa pool ah blood.”
Canelo’s friend advised him to enter her yard from another property on nearby Rio Grande Street, to avoid an encounter with the person he had the dispute. However, that did not save his life because that individual apparently ambushed him as he arrived home.
Canelo was known as a skilled athlete – one that his former coach, Orange Walk Mayor, Ladrick Shepherd believes had the potential to represent Belize internationally. Unfortunately, he did not have the family support he needed to hone his football talent.
Ladrick Shepherd
Ladrick Shepherd, Mayor, Orange Walk
“He grew up really rough. I know his family. I know his mom. I don’t really know who his dad is, but I know he had some couple brothers. One of his brothers passed away due to illness. And I think that in this situation, they were renting in on Cristock Street with his mom and Canelo was probably adopted by some people tried to adopt Canelo, tried to take him out and assist him, but I think he decided to go on his own.”
Shepherd told News Five that Canelo eventually parted ways with the sport. The mayor lamented on what he thought could have been a golden opportunity for a young athlete.
Ladrick Shepherd
“He played in on the 19th selection for us for Orange Walk and represented us. Well, you know, like I said, this young man had a load of talent when it comes to football. He used to play and a 13 and a and a 14 competition and a 15. And, and like I said, he, he has a lot of friends that admire the way he played. If this young man had gotten the right treatment and in the right school, probably going back to school, I think he would have reached the highest level, even playing semi pro level or even playing internationally. So, like I said, these are the things that we want to change, you know. When you see someone going in that direction, you want to bring them back, but it takes the community effort.”
Police have reportedly recovered several expended forty-caliber shells and three slugs from the scene. Marion Ali for News Five.
