Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has also chimed in on the Doris Grant matter. This afternoon, he told reporters that the police department and the Ministry of Natural Resources need to work closely in investigating and arresting perpetrators of land fraud.
Reporter
“Sir, in relation to Doris Grant and the land fraud, this is the third, I would say, big land case that we are seeing in recent times. We had Ricardo Borja who was killed, we had Dalla Coin who was killed. They were both in land dealings, and now we have Doris Grant in this land fraud. Is land fraud now something that police are keeping a closer eye on?”
Chester Williams
“Well certainly, we have to look at it more meticulously and there needs to be proper coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources. I don’t understand how people could falsify documents. Maybe there needs to be something done to make sure that the documents used at the land registry are not easily forged. And again, people who are purchasing land need to make sure that they do their respective due diligence. You can’t just go and buy land from anybody. You can have an agent go to the land registry and do research for you on any piece of land that you may have interest in and they should be able to tell you if that land is available or taken. And likewise, I think that within the Ministry of Natural Resources, I don’t think they have agents that would normally go out and do certain things. So if a person out in the street would tell you that they are an agent of natural resources or they are an agent of this or that, then you need to make sure you do your proper due diligence before you give them your money because at the end of the day then this becomes the issue. So it’s a huge problem for us indeed, but the issue is that many a times it does not come to the police. We only hear of it out there in the greater public and only a few of them would normally come to the police.”
Prime Minister John Briceño says he is aware of an ongoing police investigation into Doris Grant. On Thursday, P.M. Briceño told reporters that Grant allegedly promised to sell a group of Mennonites some land and received a significant sum of money from them. But, according to the allegation, she never delivered on her end of the bargain. P.M. Briceño did not go into the details because the matter is expected to be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I don’t know much about it. I am told there has been an investigation and it would be going on to the DPP but the little I have heard is that she allegedly sold dreams to these Mennonites for land. They thought that she was legit and now we are finding out that monies have been exchanged but no land, they have not received any land. But that again, we cant comment on it because that will be going to the DPP and certainly to court.”
A Belizean man, previously deported from the U.S., is returning to prison after a federal jury in Del Rio found him guilty of illegally re-entering the country.
Francis Kerr, also known as Francis Deon Flowers, 51, was apprehended by border patrol near Eagle Pass on August 22, 2023. Yesterday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced his conviction for illegal re-entry.
Kerr was deported in 2009 after serving a 17-year sentence for robbery and assault. Despite his efforts to re-enter the U.S., a trial revealed his criminal history, including two counts of 2nd-degree robbery, four counts of assault with a firearm, and conspiracy to commit robbery, all stemming from his time in Los Angeles.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas announced the case, highlighting the collaboration between Customs and Immigration Services and the U.S. Border Patrol in tackling illegal immigration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Markovits and Joshua Garland prosecuted the case, underscoring that evading deportation orders and re-entering the country illegally will result in severe consequences. Kerr now faces another prison term, reaffirming that violating U.S. laws to escape a criminal past is futile.
June 1st marks the official beginning of the 2024 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin, which includes the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. This season runs from June 1st to November 30th each year, though tropical cyclones can occasionally form outside this period.
The 2024 forecast predicts above-normal tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Basin, with expectations of 17 to 25 named storms. Out of these, eight to 13 are anticipated to become hurricanes, and four to seven are likely to reach major hurricane status (Category 3 or stronger). Typically, an average Atlantic season comprises 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
Two main factors are expected to influence the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season:
High likelihood of La Niña: Developing during the peak of the season, this phenomenon is likely to enhance tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Basin.
Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures: These temperatures are expected to provide more energy, fueling tropical cyclone development.
What Does this Mean for Belize?
While seasonal predictions indicate the expected activity level of a hurricane season, they do not specify the timing or path of individual hurricanes. Belize, being in a region vulnerable to tropical cyclones, must remain prepared each year regardless of the forecast. Whether one or more of the 17 to 25 named storms predicted this season will impact Belize is uncertain, but preparedness is crucial.
Wildfires continue to burn across Toledo and Cayo districts. With no rains forecasted in these areas, at least for the next few days, residents will continue to remain on high alert. Prime Minister John Briceño says his administration is doing everything it possibly can to put out the fires and assist victims. We spoke with the prime minister following today’s house meeting where he informed reporters that one million dollars have been set aside from government’s five-million-dollar contingency fund to offer immediate relief to fire victims in both districts. P.M. Briceño also touched on the issue of slash and burn, which is believed to be one of the primary causes of these fires. He, like the Area Representative for Toledo East said last week, believes that the method should be done away with and replaced with a safer farming practices. Here is what he told reporters.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I think the first thing we need to accept is that the way we do things ten years ago, twenty years ago can no longer happen. The issue of slash and burn is something of the past. Now in agriculture we have to be using science and technology. I like to use the story of my grandfather who was a hundred and two years old and he was a subsistence farmer. He knew when it was time to fall bush, when it was time to burn and time to plant. But if he was alive today, he would be totally confused because things have changed dramatically. So the first lesson is that we have to understand that we cannot continue the ways of the old. We have to do better. What have we been doing, well we have been doing a lot of work. I need to give credit to our ministers, they have been on the ground not profiling but actually working, mobilizing resources and it is almost like all hands-on deck. All the different ministries that can help, from Human Development, Housing, MIDH, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry. All of us are on board. But at the same time, we quickly realize that this was not a fire like other times so we needed to declare it a national disaster. By doing that we can then access international resources. We have wrote to the IDB and CABIE and both of them have already responded that they are going to assist us. We are using some resources from the contingency fund in the budget. WE have five million dollars aside for emergencies. So in Cabinet we decided we will be using a million dollars. We know that this is not enough, but this is just to get things going in the meantime. But we know that we have to be looking at food, that many of our farmers up to Tuesday, I don’t think we had any houses burning down, but we knew that a lot of them their milpas burn down, some of them their corn houses burn down. So we are working with human development and agriculture to see what is the best way to do something that is sustainable.”
And the losses have only increased since our visit to Toledo last week. According to Andre Perez, the minister responsible for the National Emergency Management Organization, an estimated eight million dollars in losses have been recorded due to forest fires. A total of two hundred and fifty families, or more than one thousand individuals, have been affected. Today, residents in at least three communities in Toledo were out battling fires that posed a threat to their livelihood. Here is more from Minister Perez.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, NEMO Minister
“Our initial damage assessment report indicates that two hundred and fifty families have been affected by the raging fires and these numbers continue to rise every day. Several hundred acres of farmlands have been destroyed by raging fires. I was told last night; two homes were lost in the Blue Creek area of the Stann Creek district. Today there are still communities at risk to these fires. Last night San Miguel, Silver Creek and Blue Creek were fighting these flames. We have reports as far north as Altun Ha and as far west in Benque Viejo. In the Mountain Pine Ridge, over ten thousand hectares of forest have been affected by wildfires. This is thirty-four thousand acres of land. The initial DANA is showing up to eight million dollars in damages so far. The full impact on agriculture remains unassessed due to the ongoing threat of wildfires and the unrelenting hot and dry weather condition. The full impact will only be understood when we analyses not only the damages but the loses our people have suffered.”
Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow is criticizing the government for its response to this natural disaster. Barrow says that the government has not responded adequately. Here is what he had to say during today’s House meeting as he recounted his recent trip to Toledo where he visited affected families.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“I would like to discuss, bring to the nation’s attention concerns from the people in Toledo district. I had the pleasure of visiting there over the last couple weeks and when I was there the wildfires really reached its peak and there was a state of emergency declared. But what is happening in Toledo east and west brings into sharp focus the failures of the Briceno administration, and I would like to present these faults for corrective measure. We need as a government, as a nation to become policy oriented. We need as a government to anticipate these emergencies and be ready. We know it is dry season, traditionally the farmers across the country are preparing the farm and land for planting crops and to have the type of devastation taking place, it really is devastating not just to the people in Toledo, but to the economy. And the response is the concern Mr. Speaker. We cannot prevent natural disasters. We cannot stop wild fires but we can respond accordingly Mr. speaker and when I visited Trio village in Toledo East, about four families, I have gotten the chance to see their homes completely destroyed. And, the response of the government is completely inadequate.”
A Manhattan jury has convicted Donald Trump on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in his New York hush money trial. Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled the sentencing for July 11.
Prosecutors charged Trump with participating in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and executing an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which involved concealing a hush money payment to an adult film star.
This felony conviction of a former president or major party frontrunner is unprecedented, yet Trump remains eligible to run for office.
Trump condemned the jury’s decision as a “disgrace,” asserting that the “real verdict” will come during the presidential election on November 5. President Joe Biden responded on social media, stating that his 2024 rival can only be defeated at the ballot box.
Carrot farmers in Orange Walk and Corozal districts will lose all that they have invested in this year’s crop if they are unable to get their produce to market soon. Dozens of acres of carrots remain in the field unharvested, which is uncommon in the north at this time of the year. The Ministry of Agriculture says the market is oversaturated due to unfavorable weather conditions late last year. The Belize Marketing and Development Corporation refutes claims that it is importing carrots currently. The farmers believe that contraband carrots from Mexico have taken their place in the market. News Five’s Paul Lopez traveled north today. He filed the following report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
2024 has been a difficult year so far for carrot farmers, particularly those in the Orange Walk and Corozal districts. Carrots are not selling at the rate they traditionally would, leaving many farmers with acres of unharvested crops that are starting to go bad.
Sabino Yam
Sabino Yam, Patchakan Farmer
“I guess all the farmers that have carrots right now are basically in the same problem. Basically it is the selling of the carrots we are having problem right now. I have contacted some of my buyers and they are not buying.”
Sabino Yam owns a carrot farm in Patchakan Village in the Corozal District. On a normal year, Yam would have already sold all his carrots on the local market. This year, he has only been able to sell eight sacks of carrots. So, what has led to this shift in the market? The Ministry of Agriculture says there’s a glut of carrots on the local market.
Andrew Mejia
Andrew Mejia, Acting Director of Extensions, Ministry of Agriculture
“The situation we are having now is as a result of what happened last year. During the months from August to October we had a drought preventing the farmers that were to plant early based on the schedule we had created with the Ministry. After that we had an issue with flooding. That compounded the situation. So everybody planted the same time, around the end of November to December.”
To ensure that every farmer gets a fair share of market demands, they take turns planting and harvesting. Carrots in the Cayo District should have already been sold out by now, leaving only carrots from farmers in northern Belize on the market. But that is not the case this year.
William Can
William Can, Agriculture Officer for Cayo District, Ministry of Agriculture
“From the data we have Cayo planted sixty-three acres and from that sixty-three acres at the moment we have around eight acres to manage in the Cayo District so we can safely say that the peak of production in the Cayo District has passed. We will have two to three weeks of production left in Cayo and from that the only two districts left is Corozal and Orange Walk.”
The Ministry of Agriculture says that produce in Cayo should be sold out within a week. That will make space in the market for carrots from Orange Walk and Corozal. But farmers are not sold on the ministry’s explanation. Jose Gonzalez, a farmer in Indian Creek Village is doubtful.
Jose Gonzalez
Jose Gonzalez, Indian Creek Village
“Si, puedo nostros. We have our doubts. We heard that Cayo have carrots. But in the past they use to come buy eighty, a hundred sacks of carrots from us. And now they are just taking twenty, twenty-five sacks. So we have our doubts and think that contraband has something to do with how they are not buying carrots from us right now.”
Carrot farmers are convinced that the illegal importation of vegetables from Mexico is the reason they are facing these challenges. During our visit to a farm in San Carlos, a group of farmers complained bitterly about the negative effects of contraband carrots. While cleaning their produce to take to the market, the men argued that the government is not doing enough to stop contrabandistas. Mejia says the argument about contraband carrots is, to an extent, justified.
Andrew Mejia
“I do believe so and I won’t discredit them. What the Ministry of Agriculture has done is that we are in the process of re-activating our contraband interdiction team, compromised of customs, immigration, police, BAHA to see what is actually happening with this accusation. Otherwise we don’t have any concrete information on that. So until the team is activated we will be able to get a handle on what is happening with that. But I can assure the farmers that the saturation is due to oversupply at this time.”
The Belize Marketing and Development Corporation is also responding to allegations that it has received import permits from the Ministry of Agriculture to bring in carrots from Mexico. B.M.D.C. Is responsible for importing goods that are not available on the local market. Valentin Carillo, the administrator at B.M.D.C., says the last time they imported carrots was in November 2023.
Valentin Carillo
Valentin Carillo, Administrator, B.M.D.C.
“I have heard concerns about the carrots issue and I have also heard that we have License right now. I came here to clear it out. We are not importing carrots from last year November.”
Paul Lopez
“How often during the season?”
Valentin Carillo
“Like last year we had a meeting with the farmers and we put a cut off date. It depends on how the season goes. As if see it right now it will go a month, a month and a half depending on local production.”
Sabino Yam
“It is claimed that they are not giving license to import but still we are seeing Mexican products on the market. So what is happening? That is rhe reason we want to know. But some of the farmers do have evidence that those importers there are bringing stuff through the border. I am from Patchakan. Patchakan is right next to the borderline to Mexico. I can say maybe six four years back there was a lot of contraband. Now I have not seen much. As a result I can conclude that this contraband is passing through the border.”
