Controversial Figure Joseph Budna Detained in Guatemala

Tonight, we’re following a developing story that continues to raise eyebrows on both sides of the border. Joseph Ryan Budna, a name that’s no stranger to controversy, has once again landed in the spotlight. Guatemalan authorities confirmed his detention in the border community of Arenal, Melchor. But what makes this case especially intriguing isn’t just Budna’s reputation, it’s where he was found. Our News Five team traveled to Arenal to trace the possible route Budna may have taken before being picked up by authorities. What we uncovered adds a new layer to this unfolding story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

We made our way to Arenal Village, where getting into the border community isn’t as simple as just driving through. At the checkpoint, Belizean police are on duty from seven in the morning to seven at night, controlling who comes and goes. Before any vehicle can pass, officers physically lift a heavy barrier, making it clear that this is a tightly monitored entry point. After hours, the responsibility shifts to specialized police units who take over the operation.

 

Tanya Arceo, Reporting

“I am standing at the entrance of Arenal Village. This is the police checkpoint. The police is working here from seven a.m. to seven p.m. After seven p.m. SPU or MIT takes over and they are the ones in charge of letting you inside Arenal Village.”

 

Records confirm that on the night Joseph Ryan Budna was captured, a police constable ended his shift at seven twenty-two p.m., and just three minutes later, a police corporal assumed command. It is through this very checkpoint that Budna is believed to have entered Arenal before being turned over to Guatemalan authorities in the very late hours of Friday night.

 

Tanya Arceo

“This is the community field that allegedly Ryan Budna referenced in a voice recording. If you can see this field is not far away from the bridge or the concrete bridge that was recently bridge or the hammock bridge. This area right here takes you directly to the bridge where you can cross over to Melchor.”

 

It is believed that Budna was taken into Guatemala across a recently constructed concrete bridge that connects the two communities.

 

Tanya Arceo

“I am standing right now in the bridge of Arenal in the Melchor area in the Guatemalan side of Arenal. This is the new bridge built. So, we have this new bridge and there is also the hammock bridge that you see behind me. So, we are trying to figure this out and see how easy it is to come across this bridge and take someone or anything.”

 

What’s still unclear tonight is how Joseph Ryan Budna managed to end up in Guatemalan custody—especially so close to an official checkpoint, and right at the moment when one police shift was ending and another was just beginning. What we do know for sure is this: Budna is no longer in Belize. He’s now behind bars at a prison in Guatemala City, and the questions surrounding how he got there are only growing. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.