Sixty-seven-year-old Griffith Cadle was stabbed to death by someone he was socializing with on Thursday night. The men were at a store on Saint Joseph Street near its intersection with Nurse Seay Street when his friend reportedly inflicted the fatal stab wound. Residents describe Cadle as easygoing and mild-mannered, but why would his friend who was recently released from the Belize Central Prison turn on him with deadly consequence? We turned to the Regional Commander of Eastern Division for an answer.
“On Thursday, June 13th, 2024, police responded to a stabbing incident on St. Joseph Street in Belize City. Upon their arrival, they saw the motionless body of Griffith Cadle sixty-seven years [old] with a stabbing injury. Information received is that Griffith Cadle was with another male person consuming alcoholic beverages at a store nearby and he was walking on the street when this person approached him and inflicted a stab wound injury to him. In regards to this investigation, we have one person in custody and the investigation continues at this time.”
Isani Cayetano:
“We understand that the suspect who is reportedly a friend of Mr. Cadle’s was recently released from the Belize Central Prison.”
Hilberto Romero
“That is correct. He was recently released from prison.”
Isani Cayetano
“Can you tell me what, if any, was the mental state of either of these two individuals?”
Hilberto Romero
“I cannot say. All I know is that they were hanging out at that area and all of that is being followed up as part of the investigation.”
A fatal road traffic accident in Stann Creek District on Saturday has claimed the life of Eduardo Palacios. The vehicle that he and three other passengers were traveling in collided into the back of a tractor, causing major damages to the Ford Escape. Despite being rushed for emergency medical treatment, Palacios perished from his injuries.
“Police responded to an area near Santa Cruz Village where there was a report of a fatal road traffic accident. Upon their arrival, they saw a tractor with damages, as well as a Ford Escape vehicle extensively damaged. Information is that the Ford Escape crashed into the back of the tractor. Four occupants were in the Ford Escape and they were all taken for treatment where Eduardo Palacios succumbed to his injuries. An investigation is being carried out into this report.”
Belize’s National Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Conference is back for its second year of activities. The annual conference aims to engage stakeholders from the public and private sectors in conversation with compliance officers and regulatory authorities to educate them on the threats posed by money laundering and engage in dialogue on how to collectively combat the funding of terrorism. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the opening ceremony today to learn how this year’s activities will support financial integrity and economic growth. Here’s that report.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Belize is strengthening its endeavor to combat money laundering and threat of terrorism within the country by hosting the second annual Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Conference. Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa told us how this year’s conference is working towards forging a more secure Belize.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I think over the last decade the word de risking blacklisting, these are all words that have become very commonplace. We all understand what it means for financial systems, for banking sector. And so we have to ensure as best as possible that we do not make our way on any of these lists and we do not put ourselves in a position to get any derisking. And so that is the importance of these events to ensure that we continue on this right path passing legislation, implementing a lot of training for officers and the different agencies not only to investigate, but to successfully prosecute crimes such as the unexplained wealth orders, civil asset recovery, all of these things, again, geared towards ensuring that we stay on the correct path.”
Over one hundred and fifty participants will attend in person, and over four hundred will do so virtually. A range of topics will be covered, including tax evasion, corruption mitigation strategies, and money laundering indicators. Leni Ysaguirre McGann, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit, says the participants will engage in break out sessions for more in-depth analysis.
Leni Ysaguirre McGann
Leni Ysaguirre McGann, Director, FIU
“So the conference, really as our theme suggests, is to talk about how we can collaborate together, to talk about how innovation impacts the work that we do, and to have open and frank discussions about that, and also to hear about some experts in their specific fields that concern, for example, cybercrime. So we’ll be talking about cyber threats, cyber security. And the idea is to raise awareness amongst our participants. We have specific breakout rooms for law enforcement. So we’ll be going over simulation activities. The first part of it is targeted for law enforcement. We’ll be running it again and opening it up to all private sector participants. The idea is to target the specific needs of law enforcement. We’ll be talking about cyber issues with them and as well as case studies on how to do certain investigative tactics and demonstrations. So we’re quite excited that we’re able to incorporate breakout sessions in this year’s conference and to target certain sectors and their specific needs.”
The conference serves as an opportunity for experts to speak to both the private sector and the public sector about the importance of combating financial crimes and build those skills so that we can do a better job of protecting both the United States and Belize. Heath Bailey, Chief of Economic Section in the U.S. Embassy told us how the embassy plans to assist Belize with this endeavor through collaboration with the National Anti-Money Laundering Council and the FIU.
Heath Bailey
Heath Bailey, Chief of Economic Sections, U.S. Embassy
“Money laundering is a technical crime. And so you have to develop the technical expertise to do that. One of the things that we do at the U.S. Embassy is we provide funding to build that capacity through training through capacity building. For example, we fund full time advisor who’s embedded with the financial intelligence unit to help them build their capacity to conduct these very complicated financial investigations.”
A week has passed since the Belize Police Department launched its investigation into an incident that occurred inside the San Ignacio Community Hospital involving so-called gang members. As we reported, alleged gang leader David Galindo was rushed to the hospital with gunshot injuries. It is said that several gang members intimidated healthcare providers and damaged hospital property, fearing that Galindo would lose his life. He died a week later, and all indications are that the Belize Police Department did not become aware of the events that transpired until days after the incident when it was reported in the news. Today, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa was asked if there was a breakdown in communication somewhere. Here is how he responded.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“Like I mentioned previously I believe I met with the media Friday, Thursday or Friday. The only report that came to police was the issue of the damage to property. And so that matter was dealt with the individual was charged the following day. And I actually, I believe he pled guilty, the individual that damaged the glass. And he was fined fifteen hundred. And so that was the only report that came to the police department. And so I know that there is a lot of examination going on in terms of the timeline in which this information was provided. But let me say that it was not provided to the police. It was provided to a media outlet. And one would expect, moving forward, responsible media outlets would contact the police Before trying to claim credit to say we were the ones who got that information first. This is not a competition. The police is not competing with any of the media stations. And it is hoped that we are all in this fight against crime. That you would do the responsible thing. Ask the police for their side of the story. Did a report like this come to you? That was never done. Instead it was shared on a morning show I believe. That’s not the way that we are supposed to be working together. And so I want to ask the cooperation of media houses. We’re not trying to compete for any sort of glory. This is not about chess beating or ego building. This is about trying to fight and stop crime. And so my suggestion moving forward is that had the doctors gone to the police first, that then an investigation could have taken place. But the only thing that came to the police was a damaged property case.”
Police continue their search for Mynor Galindo, the brother of now deceased alleged gang leader David Galindo. But according to the Minister of Home Affairs, video footage from the San Ignacio Community Hospital has so far revealed that he was not at the hospital. This narrative lines up with the account he gave News Five when we spoke with him last week. Here is what Minister Musa told reporters today.
Reporter
“I know the police are looking for Minor Galindo. I understand he was the one who identified his brother’s body. Is there any reason he wasn’t picked up at that moment?”
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I am told from a review of the video footage, and I hope I’m not being premature here, but I am told that he was not identified at the hospital based on the review of the video footage, and so whether he took part in something thereafter, that again is under investigation but in relation to the incident the night of the hospital I’m I’m He was not there based on the review of the footage.”
Reporter
“How is the search for him going?”
Kareem Musa
“I’ll have to check with the Commissioner of Police on that.”
The Corozal Bay Constituency has yet to decide on a standard bearer, as the People’s United Party readies itself for the approaching general elections. Elvia Vega-Samos’ post is being contested now that Thea Garcia-Ramirez, daughter of the Prime Minister’s C.E.O., has announced her candidacy. Today, the minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, weighed in on the situation.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I think Honourable Elvia has done a wonderful job for the good people as a result being. And at the end of the day, I am sure that we will get excellent representation coming out of the debate.”
Reporter
“In the same way that mister Usher was spared a contest because mister Pollard wanted to run against him, should Elvia have been spared in the same way?”
Kareem Musa
“That is a matter for the National Campaign Committee. Unfortunately, I do not sit on that committee. I do not hear the deliberations of that committee. But I am told that they met sometime last week. And that decision was made.”
Over the weekend, The Belize Athletics Association held a first-of-its-kind workshop led by athletic coaches from Jamaica. That Caribbean nation is known for producing world-class athletes in various disciplines. They were here to impart some of their knowledge and experience to those in Belize who are passionate about advancing sports and athletes. Those discussions proved to be fruitful in concept. We spoke with a couple of the coaches, as well as the president of the Belize Athletics Association about the way forward.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Four athletics coaches from Jamaica were in Belize over the weekend for a first-of-its-kind sports workshop. Organized by the Belize Athletics Association, the theme of the workshop was Structuring Belize Athletics for Success.
Cojac Smith
Cojac Smith, President, Belize Athletics Association
“One of the things that came out which we all agreed on was the lack of communication and collaboration among various disciplines and the shortcoming with funding, infrastructure and facilities. So those were the major points as I am sure you are aware of and everyone is aware of. We are all facing the same challenges. So we need to come up with a community effort and mitigate those issues going forward.”
The Jamaican coaches agreed that one of the areas of improvements that is needed to advance sports in Belize is increased collaboration with the Ministry of Education. We spoke with a couple of the coaches about how this concept is being implemented in Jamaica.
Neil Harrison
Neil Harrison, Track and Field Coach
“It is imperative that you have a designed curriculum that every school in Belize is following this kind of curriculum. From an academic and theoretical perspective, the kindergarten, the primary Shcools, the high schools, coming straight up to the tertiary institutions and once you have this kind of structure it lends itself to a much better product in terms of how do we find talent in Jamacia. It is through the PE classes and the PE teachers just seeing the boys running up and down, climbing and they say based on this one, based on the kind of a activity they are doing, we can put them into various discipline.”
Marlon Gayle
Marlon Gayle, Lecturer, Physical Education
“Sports are driven back home by our principals, from the primary level and secondary. At both levels you have their association then ensure the quality of sports from one level to the next helps that sort of transition to the next level. Our principal plays a key role along with staff. So every school has a setup to harness these talents.”
And with every discussion related to sports in Belize, a lack of adequate infrastructure is always raised as a talking point. This weekend was no different and varying views were shared. Physical Education lecturer Marlon Gayle had his thoughts on the conversation.
Marlon Gayle
“We are faced with the same situation like every other Caribbean countries and countries outside the Caribbean as it relates to sports and so forth but that dedication and commitment ultimately drives coaches to do very well. We don’t have all the necessary resource. We don’t have all the tracks in every area. What we have now is as a result of the work that has been done over the last hundred years. But the thing is, these did not just come as a result of government funding. It was a result of the work we put in then we realized what our potential was. Then our investment in it ultimately overtime would have taken us to that point. The same thing can happen here and greater. Our kindergarten and primary schools they all train on grass. Belize has a lot of land. There is absolutely no excuse for Belize and other country that we don’t have certain resources.”
One thing was agreed upon by all four coaches and those in attendance at this week’s training, there is a need for greater collaborative efforts among all the sporting associations and federations in Belize. A suggestion has been made for the development of a unified sports strategy led by those passionate about seeing greater advancement in the various disciplines. These four coaches noted that Jamaica does not have a secret formula outside of passion and dedication to sports.
Neil Harrison
“I don’t think Jamaica has adequate funding to support sports in its entirety but I do believe when you are a winner you have many mothers and fathers. When you are a loser you become an orphan. So as coaches, the kind of level of passions we do have and how we try to unearth talent and you just want to get one person that is going to do well and that is going to sell your country and the powers that be is going to do everything to get that funding because remember Jamaica is known because of not only we are Jamaica, Jamaica is know because we have someone who can run fast or some footballers who play good football or some netballers or the Sunshine girls. We are well known because of sports. Everywhere you go people can tell you about a Shelly-Anne Frazer, an Ellaine, a Usain Bolt. We started with some simple athletes who are now world beaters.”
Cojac Smith
“One of the things that came out, would athletics take the lead and we don’t mind taking the lead. We will take the lead and lead the charge in order to get everyone more collaborating and communicating so we can collectively move sports in Belize forward.”
It’s been almost seven years since the National Fire Service welcomed new members to its team of firefighters across the country. However, today twenty-seven recruits joined the force. After weeks of intensive training, the graduating class received their certificates and were officially sworn in. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the ceremony today.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Belize is on the tail end of a national fire crisis and the need for additional firefighters has never been more evident. Over the past few months, millions of dollars in agricultural lands and forest reserves were lost to the flames that tore through parts of the country. Even with the help of public and private organizations, manpower is always sought after. Today, that wish was fulfilled by the National Fire service as it welcomed twenty-seven new members. Belize City Station Supervisor Kenneth Mortis told us what a relief it is to see so many new faces on his team.
Kenneth Mortis
Kenneth Mortis, Belize City Station Supervisor, National Fire Service
“We’ve been bombarded by these bushfires constant over the entire country. Um, with the introduction to the rain, it’s a relief knowing that the bushfire cause will decrease a lot. Like you rightfully mentioned, it’s a relief knowing that across the country, at least Two firefighters from this twenty-seven will be dispatched to each fire station across the country. So that’s a relief. That’s two more added manpower. So anything you get on top of what you have is always a plus. So for example, if I’m sitting in Belize city and I had twelve or fifteen firefighters, and I now have a fire brand new floor, that’s a plus. You know, so we will strategically look at where we place them and um, they will be placed eventually. And we’ll see how it goes from there. But it’s a relief.”
Twenty-seven graduates were commended at the ceremony; however, the number was initially much greater, with forty students enrolled. Minister of Disaster Risk Management, Andre Perez told us what a momentous occasion it was to celebrate the achievements of the graduates.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Minister of Disaster Risk Management
“I want to say it’s a very beautiful event, especially you can see the young recruits looking so much motivated, inspired what they went through, that rigorous treating of eleven weeks. And of course, out of those forty applicants, twenty-seven made it through, including one woman. It’s all special here. It’s beautiful to see their families supporting them, which is important here. And of course, from our part is the fire department and our ministry fully engaged with them as well. That we are supporting them.”
Perez informed us that the graduates will be stationed throughout the country, wherever they are needed.
Andre Perez
“As far as manpower is concerned, we always could use more. Always. And this is a start right here, since a couple of years now, we don’t have any training, so I’m of course looking for the future. More manpower is needed.”
Reporter
“So these officers will be stationed and transfer throughout the country?”
Andre Perez
“They will be deployed or not deployed they will be stationed in different parts of the country, including San Pedro as well.”
Graduating at the top of his class was Christian Gonzalez, who has known that he wanted to be a firefighter ever since he was a child.
Christian Gonzalez
Christian Gonzalez, Valedictorian
“I remember the first time I saw a fire truck that was it. That was it. And then from there, from primary school, I started going to the fire station, to get along, what’s going, what’s happening at the fire station and then from there I spoke with the OIC, and he was like, no, you’re too young. But if you want to keep coming, you’re welcome. And up to now, I’m here.”
Much like his peers, Gonzalez began his work with the fire service as a volunteer. This training helped him make the transition into the course easier.
Christian Gonzalez
“To be honest, the transition to me at first I was gonna, I was thinking that it’s gonna be because of the responsibility at first, but then I’m like, I know the job already. Just knowing that you are already established firefighter and then from there day to day doing my responsibilities.”
Fire Chief Colin Gillet expressed only confidence and pride in the graduating class and is excited to see the work they will put in to protecting Belize.
Colin Gillet
Colin Gillet, Fire Chief, National Fire Service
“I am definitely confident. When people are running away from the fire, these are the guys who will be running towards it. And it’s not just fires anymore. It’s also rescue. If there’s a collapsed building, if there’s a people who need to be rescued in swift water, for example, our guys are being trained for that as well in specializing. So we’re very excited about expanding all the services that we offer.”
Gonzalez shared that it was through a commitment to the field and the encouragement of their mentors that he and his classmates could stand with pride and call themselves firefighters.
Britney Gordon
“What do you think contributed to you getting such high marks and finishing at the top of your class?
Christian Gonzalez
“Dedication. Once you set your mind that, I’m gonna do it and you push on yourself to the limit the chief said push yourself, and then you will accomplish. Anything that you want, and then for the training itself, they, from the beginning, they were clear that we’re gonna have some physical and theory. We, I told them I’ll, I’m gonna be getting the regular points, and if you have bonus, bring it on.”
Earlier today, the National Emergency Management Organization issued a hurricane watch alert, notifying the public of a potential storm. This sparked alarm, considering that Belize is only just beginning to recover from the fires that devastated thousands of acres of land across the country. However, shortly after the notice was posted, it was pulled, and NEMO issued an apology for the post. We spoke with the Minister of Disaster Risk Management, Andre Perez, who told us that the announcement was an accident.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Minister of Disaster Risk Management
“We discussed it already and it was just a slip of that, but it was cleared up. It was quickly cleared up and caught up and I’m glad that it was caught up because people are following us. But yes, we discussed it that we’re doing some exercise, we’re doing some education and some kind of topic typographical error or occurred, but it’s been sorted.”
Reporter
“Were you guys prepared to deal with the several amounts of heavy rain projected across the country?”
Andre Perez
“We have discussed and had several meetings, had many meeting as a ministry, the fire and after the fire, how we do the recovery and also including the preparations in the event of floods, we will have to redeploy. So all of this has been planned out. Of course, we’re exhausted, but we are prepared.”
Reporter
“Does the situation in Mexico pose a threat to us?”
Andre Perez
“It’s the entire region. We’re looking at the floods and I bet you saw what happened in the news. Up North, especially in the village of Harvester Ridge, up North in the Western part of the Orange Walk District, Nemo is way ahead of where we are than we were fifteen years ago, and I want to see that positive way, and the engagement that we have as a minister, our C.E.O., the entire department, the whole disaster risk management is inherently linked and lined up with the Ministry of Blue Economy. It’s all in one. So it’s pretty much, we’re excited in terms, and we’re inspired, we’re motivated, and today this information that happens today is part of putting everything together.”
The Department of the Environment is opening an office in San Pedro this Friday. The office opens avenues for development and change on Ambergris Caye, as the D.O.E. is responsible for managing natural resources, preserving and protecting the environment and controlling pollution. We asked the Minister of Blue Economy, Andre Perez, what this means for the island. Here is his response.
Reporter
“The D.O.E. office recently opened up in San Pedro. As Area Rep, can you talk to me about what this means for the development of the island?”
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy
“Certainly I’m an excited person as the Area Rep and as it relates to the Department of Environment and Forestry, an extremely important department in San Pedro and Caye Caulker, officially to be open, I believe it’s the twenty-first, I did get the invitation. I’m very thankful to Minister Habet and his Ministry for that opening of the permanent office. I can tell you that they have been working. They are at their station and they have done some work doing inspections in different places there. It’s a win for Belize Rural South.”
