2025-03-28 - Channel 5 Belize

Drug Plane Suspected to be Part of Drug Trafficking Network

Tonight, authorities suspect a drug ring is operating in southern Belize after discovering the remains of a drug plane that was deliberately set on fire after landing on Wednesday night. Earlier today, News Five spoke with BDF Commander Azariel Loria and Coast Guard Commandant Elton Bennett, whose teams assisted the Belize Police Department in securing the area. The plane landed on a makeshift airstrip in a remote part of Toledo near Graham Creek, close to the Guatemalan border. Initially, there were reports that two law enforcement officers were detained in connection with the incident. Today, we learned from Loria that another person from the remote area was also detained. Authorities believe the landing is linked to a suspected drug trafficking network operating in southern Belize. We understand that satellite phones and communication equipment were found at the detainee’s residence. Let’s hear first from Loria, followed by Bennett, on this latest discovery of a drug plane.

Brigadier General Azariel Loria, Commander, B.D.F.

“We need to do quite a bit of investigation when it comes to that and get to the bottom of it. I think that there was one major figure that was detained and I don’t know if he has been arrested at this point in time from one of the villages down in the south, which could lead us to more. It’s a drug trafficking network that we’re trying to dismantle in the south. I think that by the detention of this person, I don’t want to share the details and I would prefer for the Commissioner or somebody from the police department to go into those details. But I think we will have the potential to solve and in so doing, dismantle the network down in the south.”

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“We form a part of the joint enforcement teams that would deploy whenever an aircraft of interest is declared and that night we were activated and we had several Coast Guard operations that were placed on alert and deployed to different areas in order to intercept any traffickers that will be coming along the coast. So we look after the coastal areas and then the Belize Defense Force and the police department would’ve had enforcement teams well inland. So we were up tracking and trying to place our personnel at the best possible location in order to intercept. I do understand that they discovery the plane in the southern area just off the Sarstoon and that’s in the jungles. It’s very difficult terrain to operate in. I don’t know all the details as yet.”

Police Officer Suspected of Narco Involvement is Terminated

A veteran police officer has been officially discharged from the Belize Police Department following an internal review. The termination letter stated, quote, In light of the serious nature of the allegations against you, the impact on the reputation of the Belize Police Department, and after careful consideration of the submission by your attorney… I hereby exercise my power and discharge you from the Belize Police Department, effective March 28, 2025, end quote. Back in late February, we reported the discovery of the body of twenty-nine-year-old Raheem Usher from Libertad Village, who had been missing for over a month. His body was found in San Antonio Village, not badly decomposed, indicating he had been held captive for a long time before being shot twice in the head. Usher was found handcuffed, wrapped in a sheet, and covered in plastic. The sheet had a handwritten threat aimed at those ‘bringing down planes with drugs,’ listing six names, including the officer’s. On March twenty-fifth, the law firm of Morales & Company wrote to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams on their client’s behalf. The letter states, quote, our client categorically rejects the baseless allegations of involvement in illicit drug activities, including drug trafficking operations. Our client has served the Government of Belize as a police officer for over twenty-two years with an unblemished disciplinary record. His dedication to interdicting illicit drug trafficking activities within the Anti-Drug Unit for over seven years has been exemplary. He has played a crucial role in successful anti-drug operations alongside other members of the police department and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency of the United States of America. Considering the above, our considered view is that our client is serving the Government of Belize as an efficient non-commissioned police officer and it is highly unlikely that he will cease to be an efficient officer of the police department. We trust that your opinion will reflect our views and that you will not discharge our client from the police department, end quote.

2 of 6 Cocaine Fishermen Granted High Court Bail

Two of the six fishermen from the north were granted bail this morning by Justice Nigel Pilgrim in the High Court. Lerman Norman Leslie, thirty-one, from Chunox Village, and Ronyer Alexander Cruz, twenty-four, from Sarteneja Village, were each granted bail of nine thousand dollars, with two sureties of four thousand, five hundred dollars each. Prosecutor Dercene Staine did not object to their bail. As part of their bail conditions, they must report to the Corozal Police Station every Monday and Friday starting March thirty-first, 2025, until the case is resolved. They must attend all court hearings, avoid contacting prosecution witnesses, stay within the jurisdiction unless permitted by a High Court judge, and not get arrested or charged with any new offenses while out on bail, or their bail could be revoked. The fishermen, along with Pastor Mark Anthony Humes and four others—Freddy Estuardo Chavez, Angel Aragon, and Marvin Teul—were initially charged with possession of one thousand, one hundred and thirty-seven grams of cocaine. At their arraignment on March nineteenth, 2025, they were all denied bail. However, on March twenty-first, 2025, the charge against Pastor Humes was dropped, leaving only the six fishermen facing charges. The bail application for the remaining four fishermen will be heard on March thirty-first, 2025, in the High Court. The arrests stemmed from a bust on March eighteenth, 2025, in Orange Walk Town. Police intercepted a gold Dodge Caravan driven by Pastor Humes, who was reportedly hired to transport the fishermen from Belize City to Orange Walk. The six fishermen are due back in the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court on May twenty-second, 2025.

Shyne Threatens Legal Action Against 7News, BNN, and HoTP

Former Opposition Leader Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow is demanding a retraction and apology from 7News Belize, claiming they defamed him in a report about his diplomatic passport. Through his lawyers, Barrow alleges that the media house, led by News Director Jules Vasquez, falsely suggested he resisted returning his diplomatic passport to the Government of Belize. The controversial report, aired on March 26th and posted on 7News Belize’s Facebook page with the headline “GOB Says to Shyne, ‘Game Over’, Yanks Diplomatic Passport,” claimed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had instructed Barrow to return his passport and that he was reluctant to comply. However, Barrow’s attorneys argue that he had already handed over the passport earlier that morning at around 10:51 a.m., hours before the report was published. The letter to Vasquez and Tropical Vision Limited (7News’ parent company) states that the report was designed to damage Barrow’s reputation, making him look defiant and uncooperative.

In related news, Barrow has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Belize News Network (BNN), also accusing them of spreading false and defamatory statements about his diplomatic passport. The letter, from Pitts Pitts & Associates on Barrow’s behalf, demands the immediate removal of a March 26th article on BNN’s Facebook blog. The article allegedly claimed that Barrow refused to return his diplomatic passport and had stolen government property. Barrow’s attorneys refute these claims, stating he voluntarily returned the passport to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via his staff before the article was published. They argue that BNN’s post was not only inaccurate but also intended to cause “intentional embarrassment and malicious harm” to Barrow’s reputation.

Legal steps are also being taken against Hot Off the Press – Belize, a Facebook blog, for defamation. The law firm Pitts Pitts & Associates, representing Barrow, issued a cease-and-desist letter on March 27, 2025, demanding the immediate removal of a defamatory article published on March 26, 2025, on Hot Off the Press’s Facebook and Instagram pages. According to the letter, the article, titled “Shyne’s Diplomatic Days Numbered,” falsely alleged that Barrow refused to return his diplomatic passport, suggesting dishonesty and non-compliance with government directives. The letter says these claims are entirely baseless. It added that Barrow had voluntarily returned the passport to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to the publication of the article. The law firm has demanded the removal of the defamatory statements, a public apology, and compensation for damage to Barrow’s reputation.

Excessive Lead Leads Recall of Outdoor Exercising Equipment

The Ministry of Health & Wellness is pulling back several pieces of workout equipment from parks across the country. These yellow and red outdoor fitness machines were found to have dangerously high levels of lead. This alarming discovery was made thanks to research and testing by Doctor Joaquin Urbina from the University of Belize, along with Doctor Adam Kiefer and Doctor Addie Buerck from Mercer University in Georgia.

Dr. Joaquin Urbina, Assistant Professor, U.B.

“Around October 2023, a group led by Mercer University came down to Belize, and in particular the group was interested in doing a collaboration with the University of Belize on a lead in paint study and they proposed a study done on outdoor gym equipment. They were, I guess, curious to find out what the led concentrations were and together with UB students and some of their students, we conducted the study. At the same time, they conducted a study along with us on how to carry out the study using what we call a portable X-ray florescence device which measures the concentration of heavy metals, including lead. We found out that a big majority of the equipment across the country had great amounts of led in the paint. There’s a lot of documented evidence and this is supported by UNICEF and other agencies across the world and they report that prolonged lead exposure may lead to some chronic symptoms as a result of the toxicity of led. But this is over a prolonged period of time. This may include dizziness, among other symptoms, even skin disorders. If the exposure is directly on the skin.”

Exercise Equipment was from 2019 MOH Procurement

On Wednesday, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director of Public Health & Wellness, alerted mayors across all municipalities about the concerning findings. Back in 2019, the Government of Belize, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), launched the “First Ever Wellness Parks” initiative, installing eight sets of workout equipment in various municipalities. However, due to the high levels of lead found in the paint, it’s crucial to remove and safely dispose of this equipment as soon as possible. The detection was made using a special analytical tool that measures the fluorescence properties of a sample. It works by shining light on the sample and then measuring the intensity and spectrum of the light that gets emitted.

Dr. Joaquin Urbina, Assistant Professor, U.B.

“This device can be placed directly on the surface of the paint, and you can get a reading within under a minute. And so, the values that were obtained were further validated using a more complex device available at Mercer and it can really confirm the numbers that we got from the XRF test that we did on site. So the validation part was absolutely important because that is what is used as a standard to then officially report the values of the lead in the paint. I must, you know, recognize the work that Mercer University has done along with the University of Belize. The University of Belize is premiere university in the country and as the premiere university, our mission, or part of our mission, is to ensure that any type of scholarly work is going to serve as a way to inform decision making at the national level. So this particular study does exemplify the importance that academia plays in guiding decision making for the government.”

The Embassy of Taiwan wants to make it clear that while they funded the exercise equipment back in 2018, they weren’t involved in actually buying it. They take this issue very seriously and are committed to working closely with Belize’s government agencies to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again in future projects.

Estimate for New Queen Street Baptist Church is $2.2M

Efforts are in full swing to rebuild the historic Queen Street Baptist Church, which played a significant role in Belize’s history. Tragically, the church was destroyed by a fire on the morning of February 21st. Rebuilding won’t be easy, though, as the estimated cost for a new concrete structure is over two million dollars. Despite this setback, the school has adapted to continuing its daily operations without the space they once had for their feeding program and reading classes. Here’s News Five’s Marion Ali with the story.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Five weeks after a fire destroyed the historic Queen Street Baptist Church on Eve Street, church services have been moved to one of the school’s classrooms. This arrangement might continue for quite some time, as the cost to rebuild the church is a hefty two point two million dollars.

Lloyd Stanford, Pastor, Queen Street Baptist Church

“We have a classroom right in the lower flat of the school and we turned it into a makeshift church and we’re having wonderful attendance and fellowship there. Last Sunday we had about fifty people in that little classroom. In my original release I gave an approximate cost of two point two million dollars. And that is looked at and we get into the actual estimate and plans and so forth, we will see how that will play out. The suggestion that we have right now is that we rebuild as it was but with some modern changes and so forth. That work is ongoing as we work on drawing up a plan.”

The plan is to rebuild the new church just like the old one, but with a lift for easier access for people with mobility challenges. However, they might need to cut costs if necessary. Pastor Lloyd Stanford has reached out to his congregation and the wider community for help with fundraising and donations for a block drive. He knows it’s going to be a slow process and will likely happen in phases.

Lloyd Stanford

“What the membership looked at when we met with the board of trustees, it will be as it was. That’s what it is right now. When we look at it, there might be some adjustments to it, where we have the classrooms on the lower flat and the church on the upper flat.”

Marion Ali

“How close are you to the two point two million dollars?

Lloyd Stanford

“We are very far; we’re very far. We’re in the making of all of this. We have a letter that we circulated across the world and people are encouraged to make a deposit to the bank that is in that letter and people are doing that.”

Steve Ozaeta has taught at Queen Street Baptist School for the past twenty years. He mentioned that the fire deeply saddened many of the students, but now they’ve bounced back.

Steve Ozaeta, Teacher, Queen Street Baptist Church

“It did affect them emotionally. I’m sure it affects them physically as well.”

The students have now moved their reading room to an upstairs classroom in the school building. The feeding program is also running from the same building.

Steve Ozaeta

“We have made a makeshift kitchen in one of the classrooms by putting a partition so we have the stove and refrigerator in there and the cook is cooking some of the best that Queen Street Baptist can offer.”

Besides the damage to the school’s furniture and interior, Ozaeta also lost some personal items he kept there for the kids’ benefit. He’s now asking for help to replace those appliances. Additionally, there’s a need for a teacher’s bathroom.

Steve Ozaeta

“I lost a lot of personal things that I used in my classroom such as my water cooler which is essential for the kids when it gets hot. I lost an inkjet printer. I provided all the children’s headphones so they could plug into the computers so they could listen to the sounds for reading. I would love if somebody could assist me with the headphones. For the bathroom the teachers are using the children’s bathroom so the children’s bathroom is for everybody.”

Ozaeta extends his heartfelt thanks to the Central Bank of Belize and Cellular World for their generous donations of several computers and the equipment needed to clean up the soot left after the fire. Marion Ali for News Five.

B.D.F. Salaries to Be Adjusted Shortly

Last week, a meeting was held at the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security to discuss the salary system for Belize’s military. This has been a concern for soldiers for several years. Today, we asked Brigadier General Azariel Loria about the outcome of that meeting. He shared that steps are being taken to adjust military salaries to match those of other security services in Belize.

Brigadier General Azariel Loria, Commander, B.D.F.

“There were some concerns that were not addressed which encompass, primarily, the pay scale and other allowances, among other things. Rations is not a concern anymore. In previous years, it used to be, but now it’s not a concern for us. We have enough sufficient rations to…”

Marion Ali

“But the type of rations I think was what was the concern, what they were given.

Brigadier General Azariel Loria

“Yes, the type of rations and we’re addressing it. Furthermore, we’re accessing the British rations too as well. So that shouldn’t be a problem. We have the rations that should have the adequate calorie content, protein contents, carbohydrates so that they can perform his job to the best of his ability.”

Marion Ali

“So, what’s the update coming out of the meeting as it pertains to their salaries?

Brigadier General Azariel Loria

“That is something that the ministry will be prioritizing and we will know more in the coming days, but that was discussed and the priority of the minister was to tackle or adjust that head on.”

Marion Ali

“Were there any assurances given that it will be adjusted on par with the other security forces?

Brigadier General Azariel Loria

“It’ll be prioritized. We do not know, but that is what we intended to do, to ensure that it’s adjusted and ensure that it’s fair across the board.”

$96,000 IN ICT Equipment to CRD’s Adult Probation Unit

Today, the Community Rehabilitation Department received a generous donation of ninety-five thousand dollars’ worth of information and communication technology equipment. This donation was made under the PACE Justice Project, funded by the European Union in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program. So, what’s all this ICT equipment for? The department is launching an adult probation unit that offers alternative sentencing for low-risk and first-time offenders. We got more details from the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Human Development.

Adele Catzim-Sanchez, C.E.O., Ministry of Human Development

“The importance of today is that the ICT equipment is part of a larger project. It really reflects the need for us to improve the support services we provide for low-risk offenders. It is part of a project we call PACE Justice and it is a regional project in the Caribbean and Belize was selected as one of the countries to participate in the project and the objectives are to provide legal education to people so that they can better navigate the system, to reduce the backlog of cases that goes through the court and to ensure that first time offenders have community and rehabilitative service so that they don’t reoffend and at the same time not clog up the justice system by putting people or incarcerating people in prison. It will be for CRD. We will be hiring new people, new community rehabilitation officers to work in the adult probation unit. So we are in the process of setting up that unit. This equipment will help us to make sure we can manage our client database, make sure that we can communicate better with all our partners, including the court, the justice system and the community development organizations, cause we will need community participation to make sure this works well. If we are doing probation we will need to monitor where our clients are. If we are doing restorative justice we will need to ensure our young people can do community service instead of going to jail or Wagner’s Facility.”

UNDP Assist to Reduce Court System Backlogs

We also spoke with Michael Lund, the Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program. He gave us more insight into their mission to reduce the court system backlog through alternative sentencing options like probation. Here’s what he had to say.

Michael Lund, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP

“This is a year long collaboration we have had not only with the ministry of human development but also with the justice sector at large, the courts, the police, the prisons, and the lawyers that we have supported in a range of efforts to improve the system, including the backlogs. I think the efforts to reduce the backlog was the Adult Alternative Sentencing Act of last year. Operationalizing that is creating this unit which is the adult probational unit that is being created. This IT equipment will help operationalize that unit. You are able to move away from writing papers, shuffling papers, but digitizing your work and moving more efficient. But it is also reducing the backlog by not sending low-risk, first time offenders all the way through the court system into overcrowded prison, but handling it much early and up front. So, it does not even become a case.”