2025-07-04 - Greater Belize Media

Deadly Ambush in San Pedro: Was It Payback?

Tonight, police are trying to piece together the motive behind a bold and deadly shooting that’s left one man dead and another in the hospital. It happened just a block away from home for twenty-eight-year-old Alfredo Trapp and thirty-eight-year-old Gabriel Villafranco Salazar; two men who, police say, are no strangers to trouble. The pair were ambushed by two gunmen on a motorcycle in what appears to be a targeted attack. Trapp didn’t survive the hail of bullets, while Salazar is now recovering and may hold the key to what really happened. Both men have been linked to past murder investigations on the island, raising the question: was this shooting a message, or a case of past deeds catching up with them? News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

A tragic night unfolded in the San Mateo area of Ambergris Caye on Thursday. What started as a peaceful day of lobster fishing ended in gunfire and loss. Around nine p.m., twenty-eight-year-old Alfredo Trapp and thirty-eight-year-old Gabriel Villafranco Salazar were just a block away from home, riding in a black golf cart down an unnamed street. That’s when two men on a motorcycle pulled up and opened fire. The scene was chilling, blood stained the street, a grim reminder of the violence that erupted so suddenly. Trapp didn’t survive the attack. Salazar, though injured, made it out alive. Tonight, the community is left shaken, and police are working to uncover what led to this deadly ambush.

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“At approximately nine p.m. on Thursday third July police responded to reports of shot being fired in San Mateo Area of San Pedro. Officers were dispatched to the scene of the incident as well as the San Pedro Poly Clinic. At the San Pedro Polyclinic police encountered two men, Alfredo Trapp and Gabriel Villafranco, both of whom were seen suffering from two gunshots wounds to the upper parts of their bodies. Both men underwent treatment, however Trapp succumbed to the injuries he sustained. Villafranco is listed in stable condition. What police has gathered so far is that both men were on a golfcart in the San Mateo Area when they were accosted by two male persons who fired shots, injuring them.”

The black golf cart Alfredo Trapp and Gabriel Salazar were riding in tells a chilling story, bullet holes pierced the windshield, and bloodstains mark the seats. At the scene, police recovered eight spent shells, clear signs of the violence that unfolded. That golf cart is now parked at the San Pedro Police Station, impounded as part of the ongoing investigation. News Five also spoke with the mother of Trapp’s only daughter. She acknowledged his troubled past but shared that he had been working hard to turn his life around.

On the Phone: Elizabeth Vasquez, Ex-Partner of Deceased

“When I mih meet Alfredo he was a problem person. He was in and out of jail, in and out of jail and when he meet me, I was different. I am hard working person. He promised he would change his life. He stayed out of trouble for five, six years and we broke up. But he was never in problems. We broke up last year and told him Alfredo don’t forget you need to live for your daughter because then our daughter is an o positive blood just like him and I told him don’t forget the baby will always need your blood. He said yes Bella, I will always live for my daughter. So, all of this just hit like, I don’t know.”

Alfredo Trapp, who was killed, and Gabriel Villafranco Salazar, who survived, both had long histories with the law. Police records show Salazar has been accused of murder at least four times. And Trapp wasn’t far from controversy either; in late 2023, police issued a wanted poster for him in connection with the murder of twenty-three-year-old American nursing student J’Bria Bowens, who was gunned down in front of Jaguars Nightclub.

ASP Stacy Smith

“While both Villafranco and Trapp are known to the police, no clear motive has been established in this investigation.”

Reporter

“From what the police knows so far, were these persons the targets of the shooters?”

ASP Stacy Smith

“It would want to appear so on the facts we have so far.”

Reporter

“There are a number of rivalries out there. Do you know any motives?”

ASP Stacy Smith

“No motive has been established so far, but I know that for the past few weeks there has been intensive operations in that area that has led to the recovery of weapons and drugs and police continue to monitor the situation in that area.”

There’s been a shake-up in leadership on Ambergris Caye, with a new officer now in charge of the San Pedro Police formation. But with that change comes a big question: were criminals quick to take advantage of the transition? It’s a theory that’s gaining traction, especially in the wake of Thursday night’s deadly shooting.

ASP Stacy Smith

“We know criminals will strike at any given time. They don’t need a change of command to take actions they believe meet any needs they have. But what I can say is that the operations that have been conducted by the new officer in command have yielded a great deal of success and we expect that to continue.”

Gabriel Villafranco was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he is listed in stable condition. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Two Roaring Creek Men Charged in Travis Swift Murder

A community already shaken by tragedy is now gripped by frustration. Tonight, police are on high alert after a man charged with the cold-blooded murder of twenty-one-year-old Travis Swift has escaped custody. It was just weeks ago that a quiet night in Camalote Village turned into a nightmare. Travis had just returned from a quick store run when gunfire erupted, right inside his mother’s bedroom. Nearly thirty shell casings were found at the scene, the walls riddled with bullets, the windows shattered. His mother, Rosita Orellana, described it as something out of a war zone. Heartbreakingly, Travis is the second son she’s lost to gun violence in just seven years. Two men were charged, Michael Middleton and Kyle Roberts, but now, Middleton is on the run. Police are pleading with the public for help. Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith has more on this alarming development.

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“ Today, fourth July, 2025, police formally arrested and charged two men in connection with the murder of Travis Darnell Swift, which occurred on thirteenth June, 2025, twenty-eight-year-old Michael Middleton, a Belizean construction worker, and twenty-three-year-old Kyle Roberts, a Belizean truck driver, both off Roaring Creek Village Cayo District have been jointly charged for the crime of murder. Regrettably, subsequent to Middleton’s arrest, he escaped from lawful custody, and as such is wanted by police. Middleton is medium built. He stands at approximately five feet eight inches in height, and is brown in complexion. The department anticipates that it’ll be able to apprehend Middleton in due course, but it takes the opportunity to remind the general public that it is an offense to knowingly harbor conceal or assist in the harboring or the concealing of a wanted person, and that offense is punishable with up to five years imprisonment.”

Reporter

“Should this individual be considered armed and dangerous?”

ASP Stacy Smith

“He is wanted for a crime of murder. Where in firearm was used? We know murder is a charge for which bail is not granted at the lower court. So those are considerations. So persons are encouraged to be on the report and be wary and certainly to pass on any information as it relates to Mr. Middleton.”

Triple Murder Convict Gets Three Life Sentences on Eve of Birthday

Earlier today, a convicted killer learned his fate, just one day before his 31st birthday. Kyle Aswan Zetina has been sentenced to three life terms for a brutal triple murder that shocked the nation back in 2019. Among the victims: Excelsior High School’s beloved Vice Principal, Alarice Andrewin, along with her two friends, Vidal Yuman and nineteen-year-old Maria Lucas, a Guatemalan national. The crime took place inside Andrewin’s home at mile ten and a half on the George Price Highway. Despite being found guilty, Zetina maintained his innocence during sentencing, telling the court, ‘I’m sorry for the deaths, but I didn’t do it.’ Still, the judge handed down three life sentences, with no chance of parole for at least thirty-seven years.

High Court Tosses Out Electoral Boundaries Challenge

The High Court has dismissed a constitutional challenge against Belize’s Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), calling it an improper attempt to reopen a case that was already settled. Roody Lewinskey Wade and six others argued that the country’s current electoral boundaries violate the Constitution by failing to ensure equal representation. But Justice Hondora ruled that the group was simply rehashing arguments from a 2019 lawsuit that had already been resolved through a consent order in 2022. That agreement had required the EBC to review and propose changes to the electoral map. When the claimants later returned to court, alleging non-compliance, the judge said their actions amounted to an “abuse of process.” Even though Wade wasn’t part of the original case, the court found he had a “privity of interest” and was still bound by the previous outcome. Justice Hondora struck out the case, emphasizing that legal disputes must come to an end and cannot be endlessly revived. Both sides have until July thirty-first to settle the issue of legal costs.

Agriculture Minister, “Cane Farmers Deserve Fair Sugar Price”

The Minister of Agriculture is stirring the pot, this time, over sugar. Jose Abelardo Mai says Belize’s cane farmers have been quietly footing the bill for years, selling sugar below the cost of production. He claims that while the public enjoys sweet prices at the store, farmers are taking a bitter hit. And while some may laugh at the idea, Minister Mai isn’t joking. He says it’s simply unfair, and with rising production costs and growing health concerns around sugar consumption, he’s hinting that a price adjustment may be on the horizon. But don’t panic, he insists it won’t break the bank. In fact, he argues it might even be a good time for Belizeans to cut back on sugar altogether.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“The cane farmers have subsidized the Belizean public with sugar.”

Reporter

“People have laughed when you said that.”

Jose Abelardo Mai

“Yes, they laugh because it is true. Why, if it costs me seventy-five cents to produce a pound of sugar, why would I sell it for seventy-three. It is unfair, it is unfair to the cane farmers and we’ve lived with that price for so many years. It was cheaper than that before. It was at fifty cents, I think. So who would produce and sell something cheaper than what it costs to produce.”

Reporter

“One of the things that I pointed out was that we only sell what, fifteen thousand tons, plantation white and brown on the local market. Like how much of revenue would an increase be for that tonnage?

Jose Abelardo Mai

“I have those figures, but I am not prepared to share them yet until I go over them again. But if you look at the per capita consumption of sugar, it’s not a lot, you know. I think it’s about fifty pounds, fifty-six pounds per person, per year, times seventy-five cents. That’s what it costs. So if you increase by twenty-five cents or fifty cents, that will not impoverish everybody. So, it’s not like you will spend thousands of dollars more for sugar. We should consume less sugar as a country. We have obesity, we have hypertension, we have diabetes. We have a lot of these cases in Belize. So we should consume less sugar. And so, I believe that it is not something that would impoverish a nation. It’s not that. It’s not that.”

Molasses Price Debate Heats Up: Farmers, Rum Makers at Odds

Molasses might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of national debates, but it’s now at the center of a growing conversation in Belize. Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai says local farmers want to raise the price of molasses sold to rum producers, arguing that the current low cost fuels the production of cheap rum, something even Cabinet members have linked to social issues in urban areas. But rum makers are raising objections, warning that a price hike could push them out of the market. So, here’s the question: should the focus be on protecting local industry, or addressing the broader impact of cheap alcohol? It’s a sticky situation, pun intended, and one that’s sparking real debate.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“We export molasses to the US. There are essentially only two buyers of molasses in the world, both of them are in the U.S. But we are talking about molasses that is sold in Belize locally to the rum makers and they’re only like three or four, maybe half a dozen rum makers that buy molasses to make rum. You know the companies that sell rum, over and over again, you hear cabinet members saying, “Unu know this rum di destroy families in the cities because it is cheap, it is so cheap.” It is cheap because molasses sold locally is cheap So the farmers are saying, on the C molasses, increase the price by one and a half times, and then the B molasses, you increase by two times the price. Those molasses are used to make rum, and so, if you think rum is a good thing, then you’ll have to pay for it. But that is what the farmers are asking in their joint release that they issued.”

Reporter

“The producers of these liquors are saying that an increase may push them out of the market completely.”

Jose Abelardo Mai

“Look, I won’t get into that because I won’t get into any argument or debate with the rum makers. But some of the rum makers in this country are some of the wealthiest people. That’s all I will say.”

Belize Eyes End to Cane Field Burning

Burning cane fields has long been part of Belize’s sugar industry, but is it time to put out the flames for good? Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai says yes, and he’s pointing to a future where burning is replaced by machines. While regulations already exist, Mai admits they’re not enforced. And with fewer people willing to take on the grueling work of cutting cane by hand, the shift toward mechanized harvesting is not just necessary, it’s inevitable. But here’s the bigger question: can Belize modernize its sugar industry while also turning environmental challenges into economic opportunities, like carbon credits? The answer, it seems, lies in how quickly the country can adapt.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“There is a regulation for burning, you know. You should get a permit to burn and so on, but it’s not enforced. It’s not enforced. We need to, in the near future, move away from burning cane fields, but that will only happen when you start to mechanize the cane fields. Right now, this year, we found it difficult to find cane cutters and clearly you have to understand why. Cutting cane is an enslaving job, it’s almost inhumane. And so, people don’t want to cut cane anymore because they have a job to do somewhere else. And we are now, you are seeing farmers who are buying combine harvesters, they are starting to invest in combine harvesters and the government supports that because they need to get the cane harvested. When you have a hundred percent cane harvested mechanically, there is no need to burn. There is no need to burn. You can convert that, like I said before, to bio-char and collect carbon credits, sell it as carbon credits. So this, again, needs to be something that’s done in the near future.”

Cane Farmers Say It’s Time to Rethink Sugar Harvesting

When it comes to sugar cane, timing is everything. Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai is shedding light on a key issue affecting the quality of Belize’s sugar crop, what’s known in the industry as ‘kill to mill.’ That’s the time between burning the cane and delivering it to the mill, and the longer it takes, the more the quality drops. But that’s not the only factor; how the cane is cut, whether it’s mature, and even how much mud ends up in the load all play a role. Now, farmers are calling for change, not just in how cane is harvested, but how they’re paid. They want individual payments based on quality, not group averages. So, could new legislation and better practices be the key to sweeter results for everyone involved?

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“Well I’ve heard that. I mean there are so many things that lead to low quality sugar cane, right. Kill to mill, that’s what they call it. From the time you burn the cane to the time you deliver it, the longer that period extends, the lower the quality. The quality is affected. Kill to mill. So that affects it. The way you cut cane affects it, you take mud into the cane field. If you harvest cane that’s not mature, it again affects the quality. So there are many things that affect quality.”

Reporter

“But you’d want to legislate that. Like when they harvest and so?”

Jose Abelardo Mai

“I think it can be. I’m not saying it should not be but it could be controlled. It could be controlled.”

Reporters

“The farmers are asking for a change in payment. Right now, it’s being done by group. They want it to be done individually. Do you favor that?”

Jose Abelardo Mai

“I think they are referring to core sampling. Right now, the farmers get paid per quality, by group. So if it’s my group, say San Lazaro branch, which is C15, I think the price paid was above some of the others because the quality was better or something like that. So it is payment by quality, but per group.”

Sargassum Crisis Hits Businesses and Marine Life in San Pedro

It’s piling up fast and it’s not going away. San Pedro is now under a sargassum emergency. The town council says they’re fighting a losing battle, only managing to clear a fraction of the seaweed before it comes right back. With limited resources and mounting pressure from frustrated businesses and residents, the call is out for everyone to pitch in. The stench is strong, the beaches are brown, and marine life is dying. So, what’s the way forward? News Five’s Paul Lopez went to the island to find out more. Here’s his report.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

It’s a seaweed invasion and it’s getting worse by the day. Ambergris Caye is now under a sargassum emergency as thick mats of the brown algae continue to blanket the island’s once-pristine shores. Crews with shovels and wheelbarrows are working around the clock, but the seaweed just keeps coming. The stench is overwhelming, the beaches are buried, and coastal businesses, especially those over the water, are feeling the heat as guests complain about the view and the smell.

Franklin Mercado, Bartender, Wayo’s Beach Bar

“It affects the business as a whole. We have a lot of people coming in everyday. And one of the most important thing for us is our beach front view, our ocean view and without that ocean view, you don’t really see the ocean because everything is covered with that nasty seas grass. It affects us as a business where we have people avoiding come too close to the beachside, because of the smell being two strong and it just unbearable.”

Paul Lopez

“A normal day on the beach in San Pedro looks like sitting down, enjoying the sun and the view. But that is not the case today because sargassum has taken over the beach for miles.”

As thick layers of sargassum continue to blanket the shores of Ambergris Caye, local businesses like Wayo’s are doing their best to stay afloat. Despite the challenges, they remain hopeful and determined to weather the storm. But it’s not just the tourism industry feeling the impact. The dense, toxic seaweed is also choking marine life, making it nearly impossible for anything beneath the surface to survive. With both livelihoods and ecosystems at risk, the call for urgent solutions is growing louder.

Luis Gomez, San Pedro Town Resident

“All around here in the front area of the sea, you will find bone fish, small snappers and stuff like that. So, the bone fish, they call them schools. So every time I come and the sargassum is a lot you will see a bone fish floating there and another floating there. Surprisingly even big fish I have seen, like big jacks, they float up and get bloated and it is destroying anything that is in the front, grass, fish, jacks, crabs, you name it, it is dying because they don’t have any oxygen. And the sargassum let go a toxin that they cannot survive in the environment.”

On the island of Ambergris Caye, the fight against sargassum feels never-ending. Every day, a small team made up of local businesses and the San Pedro Town Council works tirelessly to clear the beaches, but the seaweed just keeps coming back. Now, with the situation worsening, the Mayor’s Science Advisor, Valentine Rosado, is sounding the alarm. He says it’s time for an all-hands-on-deck approach. That means more people, more resources, and a united community effort to tackle what’s now being called a sargassum emergency.

Valentine Rosado, Science Advisor, Office of the Mayor

“If we get people to come and assist, near their homes or just volunteers, all we need to do is to take it out of the water, even if they don’t have the ability to take it somewhere else, put it high up on the beach so that when it dries it does not smell. That is the priority and that is what we are asking people to assist with, because right now the council is removing a hundred and thirty-six tons of sargassum a week.”

Residents and business owners all agree that solving the sargassum crisis cannot be a task for the council alone. It requires all hands-on deck.

Miguel Alamilla, Resident, San Pedro Town

“We are tackling the problem when it drift to our shoreline and how effect we are depends on who you talk to, but it is difficult given the amount we have. It is very difficult. Even here we have to have a collective approach.”

Paul Lopez

“Do you that if business and community members come together, put their resources together that they can make a dent in this?”

Miguel Alamilla

“Of course, it is required given the extend of the problem. That is what we need.”

Nicole McRay, Co-Owner, Fresh Express Bakery

“I mean we can all volunteer to help out a little bit, if not volunteer some money to help put up for this, because it does, if affects everybody in the neighborhood and on the island.”

It just won’t stop. Day after day, the sargassum keeps rolling in—and despite constant cleanup efforts, the beaches of Ambergris Caye are still buried under the brown tide. The smell? Overwhelming. The view? Far from paradise. Locals and tourists alike are trying to go about their day, but the truth is, if this keeps up, the entire island’s tourism industry could take a serious hit. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Belize Celebrates Cooperatives as Catalysts for Change

Belize is putting the spotlight on cooperatives and their power to drive real change. Today, the country marked the International Day of Cooperatives with a national forum in Belize City, bringing together leaders, policymakers, and changemakers. The event kicked off with opening remarks from Registrar of Cooperatives Gareth Murillo, setting the tone for a day focused on innovation, inclusion, and economic resilience. Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai delivered the keynote, emphasizing how cooperatives are helping to build stronger rural communities and a more sustainable future. News Five’s Tanya Arceo was there and brings us the story.

Tanya Arceo, Reporting

When you think of cooperatives in Belize, agriculture might come to mind, and you’d be right. But there’s a lot more to the story. We caught up with Gareth Murillo, the Registrar of Cooperatives, who gave us a snapshot of the movement across the country. From sugarcane and livestock to women-led processing groups, Belize is home to sixty-nine registered cooperatives, most of them rooted in farming. But that’s not all. Transportation, hospitality, and especially the fishing sector are also thriving under the cooperative model.

Gareth Murillo, Registrar of Co-operatives

“I would argue that compared to our population our number of cooperatives and the number of cooperative members are relatively small part of the aim of our activity here is to improve on that publicity so that we are able to attract more inclusion from other sectors of the population if I may say this the majority of corporative members are what you would call grass roots persons the cooperative model allows people who may not necessarily be able to do so on their own to become a part of a business to be a part owner, to be a collective owner and in that way they are able to share their resources, they’re able to share their capacities and to try and build a business together.”

And in a sweet twist to our coverage, quite literally, we also caught up with a couple of hardworking members from a local cooperative. They proudly showcased a variety of products they’re crafting, with a special spotlight on their high-quality honey. But it’s more than just delicious, it’s a lifeline. These products are helping sustain their families and fuel their local economy, proving that when communities come together, everyone thrives.

Ileanna Ayuso, Chairman, BCSL

“Today we are presenting some natural soaps which bis good for your skin we have the honey also that is produced by our cooperative we are like seven females working in beekeeping and the rest are males we are 21 members at the moment we work together and also we have a food contract with BMDC that we produce every year so the product if you notice our honey has BMDC on it because they buy all our honey.”

Mariela Ramirez, Chairman, Prosperity Women’s Corporative

“I’m Mariela Ramirez I’m the chair for Prosperity Women’s Corporative from Orange Walk and here we have some local products to present we usually do honey bi products we do agro processing we do caterings and food sales in Orange Walk we are located in Orange Walk.”

Today’s forum was more than just a meeting, it was a powerful reminder of how cooperatives are helping shape stronger, more inclusive communities. From economic empowerment to sustainable development, when people work together, everyone benefits. As the conversation continues, cooperative leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders are gearing up to collaborate even more closely to build resilience and unlock new opportunities. Reporting for News Five, I’m Tanya Arceo. Tanya Arceo for News Five.