Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant of the Belize Coast Guard (BCG), has confirmed an uptick in activity along the reefs, with Belizean fishermen suspected of seeking illicit substances. He told News 5, “We have seen an increased activity in the Turneffe area. It is our operational responsibility to ensure that we board, search, engage and interview where necessary all those individuals that we come across.”
Bennett stated that the Turneffe area continues being an area of concern. He said that the Coast Guard patrols “in Calabash Caye are very active in pursuing these individuals who may be involved in criminal activities in that area,” Bennett stated.
On Monday, the Belize Coast Guard operating from the Calabash Caye responded to reports of an individual “who was working in the Turneffe Atoll area and had suspected cocaine in his possession.”
He said the patrol team investigated and “discovered what appears to be suspected cocaine”. The man was detained, and the substance was confiscated. The suspect was handed over to police for further questioning.
Bennett also confirmed that last week, the coast guard had detained another individual who had been “aggressive towards another party in the activities of beachcombing. So we are aware of that, and we are doing our best to keep an eye on these individuals,” he said.
The Belize Association of Persons with Diverse Abilities (BAPDA) has elected a new Board of Directors, ushering in a fresh chapter of leadership dedicated to empowerment, advocacy, and inclusion for persons with diverse abilities in Belize.
The election took place on Saturday, March 22, 2025, during BAPDA’s General Meeting at the HUB, bringing together members and supporters for a democratic selection of the organisation’s executive team.
The newly elected board members are:
President: Francisco Cuellar
Vice President: Noel Young
Treasurer: Roy Briceno
Vice Treasurer: Melissa Caretela
Secretary: Emil Mendez
Assistant Secretary: Kennik Garnett
In addition to the executive roles, the following individuals have taken on non-executive positions:
Senior Advisory Member: Kathleen Skeen
Advisory Members: Frank Garbutt III and Warren Smith
The election comes at a significant moment in BAPDA’s history, following the passing of its former President K Raymark Theus, in December 2024.
Traders on Wall Street are warning of an impending recession as President Trump’s trade war continues to cause massive market turbulence. The Guardian reported that on Monday, stock markets swung wildly after false reports of a tariff pause, revealing the heightened anxiety surrounding US-China relations and global economic uncertainty.
Traders are growing increasingly concerned about the long-term impact of Trump’s aggressive economic policies. According to The Guardian, the volatility has reached levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis. Many believe the US is heading towards a self-sustaining economy but fear the cost of such a shift could be devastating.
Experts predict that the ongoing turmoil could lead to a prolonged downturn, with markets already showing signs of strain, The Guardian reported. Technical analyst Anthony told the news outlet that, despite short-term opportunities, a recession is inevitable, and consumer spending is likely to slump as the effects of the trade war take hold. “What’s happening is that it’s going to hit the American people, and they’re going to keep their wallet closed in their pocket. Without a doubt, we’re hitting a recession,” he said.
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition (LOO), is rejecting statements issued by Shyne Barrow in a press statement bearing the UDP’s name on Monday night.
She accused Barrow of having no authority within the party. She said, “The former Standard Bearer of Mesop, who received a mere 300 votes in the most recent General Elections, is NO LONGER the Leader lof the Opposition. He is NO LONGER the Leader of our great United Democratic Party. He is NO LONGER the elected Area Representative of the Mesopotamia Division. He has NO authority whatsoever to act on or behalf of the UDP.”
Barrow lost his seat and position as LOO after being defeated by his UDP rival, Lee Mark Chang as part of Panton’s UDP slate.
Panton’s comments followed a statement from Barrow who denounced Panton’s National Party Council Meeting held on April 5 as a “fake” UDP gathering.
In her statement on social media, Panton insisted that her focus is on rebuilding the UDP, adding that if Barrow and “those who believe they are so entitled insist to facilitate this madness, we will take the appropriate action.”
A press release branding the United Democratic Party ‘s name was issued by former Opposition Leader Moses Shyne Barrow on Monday night.
The statement condemned the UDP National Party Council Meeting held on Saturday by Leader of the Opposition and Albert representative Tracy Panton.
It said the UDP “denounces the Alliance for Democracy Party’s continued false claims of UDP leadership and NPC meetings.”
It added, “The meeting held on Saturday, April 5, 2025, by Tracy Panton and others was not a UDP National Party Council meeting.”
The statement also refuted Panton’s leadership, adding that “until the High Court issues its decision on the civil action brought against Panton for her false claim to leadership, the status quo remains as to the duly elected and appointed Central Executive Committee Members of UDP.”
Belmopan police are investigating a daring drive-by shooting that occurred on Saturday. Surveillance footage shows a white SUV pulling up behind a Mazda Tribute parked in front of T and J store in the Cohune Walk area. Within seconds, a gunman emerged from the SUV’s backseat and fired multiple shots at the Mazda, forcing the occupants to dive for cover. The incident is believed to be related to an ongoing family feud. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but one passenger, Jamal Hyde, was shot in the leg. A.C.P. Hilberto Romero provided more details on the incident.
“On Saturday, the fifth day of April 2025, around twelve fifteen p.m., Belmopan police responded to a shooting in Belmopan. Upon their arrival, they learned. But one person received injuries and had been taken to the hospital for treatment. He was identified as Jamal Hyde, investigation Villa Jamal Hyde was in a Mazda vehicle when an occupant from a suburban vehicle fired several shots towards his vehicle causing the injury to him. There were two other persons in the Mazda but they were not injured. Jamal Hyde has since been treated and released from the hospital. The vehicle involved in the shooting has been recovered, and several persons are in custody pending investigation.”
Reporter
“Are the suspects related to the victim?”
Hilberto Romero
“I’m aware that they are known to each other. That’s all I know.”
Reporter
“What triggered the shooting? Is there a motive?”
Hilberto Romero
“Internal feud with these persons involving Jamal Hyde.”
Reporter
“Is it a feud fueled by revenge?”
Hilberto Romero
“Again, that is all the information we have, they have some feud amongst themselves and that is what led to the shooting.”
Reporter
“Do police believe that Jamal Hyde and his passengers were trailed by the persons in the vehicle?”
Hilberto Romero
“At some point the Suburban came upon the Mazda, because the Mazda had been to several places upon prior to the shooting.”
Reporter
Was it firearm used or did we use Inside recovered?”
Hilberto Romero
“There was a firearm recovered. And again, the investigation is being carried out to determine if it can be linked to the shooting.”
Earlier today, Mayor Pablo Cawich addressed the shocking daylight shooting in Belmopan. He expressed deep concern over the incident, noting how it has left residents feeling alarmed and uneasy. Mayor Cawich reassured everyone that the city council is working hand-in-hand with the Belize Police Department to ensure the Garden City remains safe and secure.
Pablo Cawich
Pablo Cawich, Mayor, Belmopan
“Yes it was very concerning to see that action take place in our city. Belmopan is known for being peaceful city, so twelve or thirteen shots being fired in front of a grocery store in broad daylight is very alarming. We tend to regularly meet with the police department. The department and the council participate in a by monthly prayer session with some pastors and during that session the police usually gives us a briefing of what has happened recently, concerns in the neighborhood and city. So, we will be updated on that but I have not been briefed as yet.”
Several people believed to be gang members from the Iguana Street and Neal Penn Road neighborhoods are now in police custody. This follows a shooting on Iguana Street on Saturday that left a man, a woman, and a child hospitalized. On Sunday afternoon in Belize City, three people, including a twelve-year-old boy, were shot during an attack. Marilyn Richard, fifty-six, Edgar Choc, thirty-six, and the young boy were socializing in front of a home on Iguana Street Extension when two men on a motorcycle showed up. One of the men got off, pulled out a gun, and fired multiple shots, injuring Richard, Choc, and the minor. Luckily, a fourth person managed to escape unharmed. The attackers then fled down Elston Kerr Street. This incident happened close to where twenty-year-old Coby Ledlon was fatally shot last week on Iguana Street. Today, A.C.P. Hilberto Romero suggested the shooting might have been in retaliation for Ledlon’s murder.
“On Sunday, the 6th of April. 2025, around 12:50 p.m., police responded to a shooting on Iguana Street in Belize City. Upon their arrival, they learned that three persons had been shot and taken to the K.H.M.H. for treatment. Edgar, Choc and Marilee Richards received gunshot injuries as well as a twelve-year-old minor. They are presently at the K.H.M.H. receiving treatment, and they are all in stable condition. Investigation reveal that they were sitting in a yard on Iguana Street when a motorcycle came to the area, a person came off the motorcycle and fired several shots towards their direction. We have several persons in custody at this time. Information revealed that a person that was at the yard was the intended target, but he was not shot.”
Reporter
“Is it in any way related to the previous shooting on that street?”
A.C.P. Hilberto Romero
“We have some information that it may be related, so we’re doing follow-up work on it.”
Reporter
“Are police concerned about that area?”
A.C.P. Hilberto Romero
“Yes, it is of concern, so we will do several operations and bring in the persons from those areas to try to prevent any further retaliation.”
Marion Ali
“Mr. Romero how effective are these surveillance cameras in providing information that you need to fight these cases at the court and getting convictions?”
A.C.P. Hilberto Romero
“The cameras are important as we can trace the route the suspects took as well as sometimes we can rely on these images to identify who the suspects are.”
Forty-nine-year-old security officer Ervin Middleton has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a thirteen-year-old girl and has been sent to the Belize Central Prison. High Court Judge Nigel Pilgrim will decide Middleton’s sentence after a mitigation plea on May sixteenth. Middleton was first accused of raping the girl in September 2020 when she was a standard six student. This morning, Middleton, who was out on bail, heard the verdict after the trial concluded in March. “Guilty of rape of a child,” announced Justice Nigel Pilgrim. Middleton appeared shocked by the verdict. The girl, now eighteen, testified in court that she was home alone when Middleton arrived. He asked for a cup of water, and after she gave it to him, he asked her to lie down with him. When she refused, he forced himself on her. Middleton denied the allegations, claiming the girl made up the story out of revenge because he ended his relationship with her mother after discovering they were related. The judge noted that the prosecution proved all the elements of rape. Middleton will be sentenced on May sixteenth.
The Belmopan Market Plaza is buzzing with frustration after vendors were informed that they now need individual trade licenses to operate. Since 2021, vendors have been paying a rental fee to market owner David Zabaneh, who covered a thirty-thousand-dollar blanket trade license. However, that agreement is no longer valid. News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the market today to get more details on the situation.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
It’s less than twenty-four hours before market day at the Belmopan Market Plaza, and things are pretty quiet. A few vendors have set up their stalls, hoping to make some sales, but many are worried they might not be able to keep doing business. Recently, the Belmopan City Council told the vendors they now need individual trade licenses instead of the umbrella license that market owner David Zabaneh had been paying for since 2021.
David Zabaneh
David Zabaneh, Market Owner
“We got granted a trade license in 2021 by the Trade License Board. With that trade license, we entered into a five year MOU with the Belmopan City Council to conduct market day activities. And it was something that was, renewable. So in 2023, we went back to the table because we had some, I’d say not really issues, but the landowner at that time, he really wanted to sell. So being that we already had the commitment to our vendors, we decided, we have to see how we proceed to purchase this property and not let it get in the hand of, any other investor because we’ve had a lot of people showing interest in wanting to buy the property. We’re for our vendors first.”
Zabaneh and the city council worked out a new thirty-year agreement for a group trade license, based on a promise to buy the market property. However, this deal was made with the previous administration under former mayor Sharon Palacio. The current mayor, Pablo Cawich, says the agreement is not valid.
David Zabaneh
“We already made our investments and they want to come in and charge each vendor individually when we already have a blanket trade license agreement. So it’s not, maybe it’s new to them, but it’s nothing that’s unheard of to have ablanket or umbrella trade license. They do this kind of arrangements all over the world. If you want to go check in the commonwealth. You could find that being done. For us, I would say, the fee we pay annually, we would see a huge reduction in that. We’d probably see ninety to ninety-five reduction in that if they come in un charge vendors a trade license. But on our end, we can’t allow that to happen because a lot of times the small business owners they get trampled on by, different administrations and we’re just in a position where we have to protect them and their livelihoods.”
Veronica Barcenas has been selling tacos at the market for over eight years. She shared that the old trade license setup was a huge help for her and many other vendors, making it easier for them to keep their businesses running.
Veronica Barcenas
Veronica Barcenas, Vendor
“I feel very happy here in this place, and I don’t want the City Council to invade our market plaza because I worked with them for many years. At first, it was fine, but later, it seemed like they wanted to do something, I don’t know what, and they took away our selling space. So, we moved here with Mr. Zabaneh at Market Plaza. I know that this place is very nice, and there are a lot of sales of clothes, food, and I am happy about that.”
Zabaneh explains that the city council’s cease and desist order was not shocking, since he has faced several hurdles with the new administration.
David Zabaneh
“In December they the city council, they called us into a meeting and told us their intention. And, we stood our ground saying, hey, we have an MOU have an agreement in place already, probably paying a significant amount of blanket for vendors. And they would just make it difficult, for small business owners to operate. We have a lot of seasonal people. We have a lot of farmers that come in here and they can’t afford to go through the bureaucracy, probably rather just not getting business.”
The cost of a trade license varies based on the business’ size and location. To get one, vendors must first register their businesses and then have them assessed by the city council to determine the fee. Elizabeth Garcia, a fruit and vegetable vendor who has been selling at the market for about four years, is worried she won’t be able to afford both the annual license fee and the rent for her spot in the market.
Elizabeth Garcia
Elizabeth Garcia, Vendor
“ I am a single mom and I don’t understand why since we paid the owner of the markets, we already paid the City Council trade license, so now they want to come in and charge individual. To me, that’s not fair and everything goes up, product doesn’t, the price doesn’t come down and we have to try keep a standard balance for the customers, but business are low right now.”
According to Zabaneh, about three hundred vendors will be impacted by these changes in regulations. The council remains firm that the previous MOU should not have been enacted and has no plans to reinstate it.
David Zabaneh
“For communication wise. I think we’ve reached out a few times. I reached out a couple times over the last week and I’ve had no response, so I don’t think they want to negotiate. I think they’re pretty firm on their position, so I have to be firm on mine and we’re gonna do whatever it takes to protect our vendors.”
