Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Tonight, parts of the Belize and Cayo Districts are under a State of Emergency. That oldest trick in the crime prevention book was activated on Saturday after a spree of violence between Friday and Saturday left seven dead.
That led the law enforcement top brass to convene a special Sunday afternoon press conference at the Queen Street Police Station here in Belize City.
Jules Vasquez was there:
Michel Chebat, Minister of National Security "Today, a proclamation by Her Excellency the Governor-General under Statutory Instrument 130 of 2026 brought into effect a State of Public Emergency in the Southside and Northside of Belize City,certain parts of Belize District, and certain parts of the Cayo District."
But earlier this year, the Court of Appeal found that such crime prevention SOEs do not meet the very high threshold of a public emergency.
Michel Chebat: "We are aware that the decision of the Court of Appeal is going to go before the... the... the Caribbean Court of Justice. So we are... we know we are pending that, but it is one of the tools that the police has that it can use to implement to control the violence that we are experiencing. And at this point in time, because of the level of violence we have experienced, we must exhaust all the tools that we have to fight crime."
That's why Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado tried to publicly make the case that this violence-like what we saw on Friday-does meet the threshold, and is justified:
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police "Following a careful and rigorous assessment of the recent security developments and the realization that the situation on the ground had reached a critical level, a State of Emergency was declared."
"The recommendation was not made lightly, nor is it based on an isolated incident. It is the direct result of verified intelligence demonstrating that Belize City, part of rural Belize District, and part of the Cayo District are facing a level of coordinated retaliatory gang violence that meets the strict constitutional threshold of Section 18(3)-a threat of such nature and that it is likely to endanger public safety and disrupt essential services."
According to Rosado, gang warfare has reached a level where police cannot contain it:
Dr. Richard Rosado: "The current wave of violence is no longer confined to individual disputes. It is a highly coordinated and it is multi-factional conflict, where we have witnessed the rapid escalation of long-standing internal feuds within the gangs and their affiliated factions, spreading violence across multiple communities."
"Intelligence indicates that gang leaders are actively issuing orders for retaliatory hits, utilizing specific vehicles and mobilizing their strikers."
"The situation presents an immediate and exceptional threat to public safety."
"While our officers have worked tirelessly to investigate, arrest, and disrupt these operations, the sheer scale, frequency, and coordinated nature of this violence demonstrate that standard traditional policing measures are insufficient to contain the threat within the required time frame."
"The constitutional conditions have been met. Action is being taken by a body of persons on such a scale as to endanger public life, public safety."
And while Rosado did his best to lay out a state of affairs bordering on panic, the Minister said they may seek an example from the notorious CECOT gang prisons in El Salvador:
Michel Chebat: "We intend to travel to El Salvador to learn from their experience in fighting crime."
Reporter: "What are you hoping to learn from the visit to El Salvador? One, taking into consideration that his measures have been rounding up everyone considered to have committed crimes, being involved in gangs, and so overlooking human rights and judicial processes, as Jules has reminded. And for that he's been heavily criticized both internally and internationally. So what exactly are you hoping to learn from them? It's been widely reported on. I don't know if it requires a visit to El Salvador."
Michel Chebat: "Well, we are hoping that, having a one-on-one with them, we can learn what are some of their strategies in fighting, particularly, crime-gangs that are involved in criminal activities. I know that they have been very successful in doing that. I do appreciate the point that their society was at a different level than where we are right now, and so that the many of the changes that the current administration in El Salvador brought was a result of what that society was experiencing. However, we are also conscious that we cannot implement everything and to the extent that they have implemented, but we believe that there are strategies that they have employed that we could possibly use in Belize in our fight against the gangs and so forth."
But the so-called 'fight against gangs' invariably involves teenaged minors-and for them, Chebat had mixed messages. First, he talked about once again reforming legislation to make it tough on criminals:
Michel Chebat: "The objective is to increase the penalty for all crimes involving guns, drugs, or gang-related activities to mandate custodial sentences, including for first-time offenders."
"To enable minors who commit major crimes to be charged as adults. This is not where we want to go, and that is why we will be implementing our Second Chance program, because we believe in our young people, and we must do all we can to save them from a life of crime."
Jules Vasquez: "Would you accept that perhaps canceling the LIU program without notice-and treating the recipients like persons not worthy of receiving notice-had a triggering effect on the cascade of crime of different types, both homicide and aggravated burglaries, that we've seen since then?"
Michel Chebat: "I will say to you that we need to have some level of intervention, some level of mediation,especially with youths at risk. And so we are committed to looking at a program that will target this. And that is why if you recall, I spoke about a Second Chance program that we are going to be doing in conjunction with several ministries."
"And so, I guess the long and short of my answer is, yes, we're looking at an intervention mediation program. We feel that it is necessary in the city."
And while that is a ways off, the fight now is to restore normalcy:
Michel Chebat: "While the days ahead may result in some inconvenience for law-abiding citizens, I appeal for your patience and cooperation as we work to reduce the level of criminality we are facing in our country."
Dr. Richard Rosado: "We are taking these extraordinary measures, legally justifiable measures, to dismantle this violence network, prevent further bloodshed, and restore peace to our community."
But in the context of a press conference that was manifestly shaky and did not quite project command and control, this declaration seemed more aspirational than definitive.
And it was a working weekend for Minister Michel Chebat. On Sunday he had to meet the press, and on Saturday he had to meet the gangs. What we are told was a mediation session was held at the House of Culture here in the city. When we posted that story on Saturday, it was met with howls of disapproval on social media.
Yesterday, Chebat defended the meeting:
Michel Chebat, Minister of National Security "Let me take this opportunity to address the intervention session that the Commissioner of Police and I had with individuals identified as being part of known gangs in Belize."
"The objective was to determine the factors that have led to the upsurge of criminality we have witnessed this past month."
"While some may criticize the move, including the leader of the opposition, we must be able to communicate if we will have any real chance of preventing further violence and discovering ways to reduce crimes so as to prevent further loss of life."
"Let me be clear. We did not offer and neither will we be paying anyone to refrain from committing any criminal act. That was a UDP plan and one that has been dismantled by this administration."
Jules Vasquez "....you are the maximum leader to participate in a gang intervention. So if you have left that to lower level mediators or the compo themselves, you are the maximum leader from an executive perspective. Is that something you can talk to us."
Michel Chebat, Minister of National Security "Um, there are some people who think so, but I think as the minister, I think I need to understand if I'm going to help lead policy and direction."
"I think it is important for me to understand as well what's happening."
And a gang-related murder occurred in Ladyville while Chebat was heading that mediation session in the city on Saturday morning.
31-year-old Herber Belloso came under heavy firepower when a vehicle pulled up on him:
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer "Similarly, police are seeking a vehicle of interest that has been identified as a part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of 31-year-old Herber Belloso of Ladyville village, which occurred at approximately 11:15 a.m. on 31st of October 2026 in the vicinity of Compassion Lane, Ladyville. What has been learned so far in the course of the ongoing investigation is that Belloso was at a store, and a blue-in-color Chevy Equinox stopped and three male persons, two of whom were armed, exited the vehicle, and upon observing this, Mr. Belloso attempted to flee. He was pursued and fired upon, resulting in his fatal injury."
Jules Vasquez: "Can you say whether that incident with Belloso was in any way related to any other previous shootings or murders?"
ASP Stacy Smith: "Cannot conclusively say so, but what I can say is that Mr. Belloso was detained in relation to a murder that preceded his in the Ladyville area. However, the extent of the investigation did not afford us... did not lead to the department being able to prefer any charges, but he was still considered a person of interest in the course of that investigation."
And then by Saturday night, the murder scene switched back to Belize City, where a gunman opened fire at a group of men-just a few feet from a fully manned police booth on Cemetery Road.
It happened near Pregnant Alley, which is a gang hotspot in Belize City.
When the dust settled, one man had been killed and several others lay injured.
Police told us this murder is believed to be gang-related:
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer "As it relates to that incident, police are seeking a vehicle of interest which has since been identified as a result of the efforts of the personnel at the Crime Fusion Center in relation to the investigation into the murder of 31-year-old Charles Nolberto and the shooting injury of 29-year-old Charles Middleton, 32-year-old Cesario Choco, and 43-year-old Clifford Olivera. The investigation commenced at approximately 7:10 p.m. when officers were alerted to the sounds of shots being fired on Cemetery Road, Belize City. What we have established so far through the use of technology at the Crime Fusion and Operation Center is that four male persons were socializing when a black Chevy stopped in front of these four male persons and an individual from inside the vehicle fired upon the group, resulting in the fatal shooting of Nolberto and the injury of the three others who are in stable condition."
"Similarly, as was indicated and which forms the basis of the actions that was taken today in terms of the State of Emergency, it is gang rivalry; however, on this occasion, it is not internal, but opposing gangs."
And a few hours later-early on Sunday morning in Punta Gorda Town-a 17-year-old was stabbed to death following an altercation with his friends, five male minors.
We spoke with police about what they know so far:
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer "As it relates to... I will now move into the incident in Punta Gorda where police are investigating the murder of 17-year-old Kevin Meraz, which occurred in the early morning hours of today.Police, as I indicate, have detained five male minors in relation to this. The investigation commenced when police were advised of the presence of an injured Mr. Meraz at the hospital seeking medical attention, and what we have been able to gather so far is that Meraz and a group of I think six persons were socializing when a dispute arose and that resulted in the stabbing of Mr. Meraz. It is a matter that is under investigation and as more development is made that will be made known to the public. And finally, as it relates to updates."
Reporter: "You said some of his peers are detained, right?"
ASP Stacy Smith: "Minors, yes, please."
This morning, police were preparing charges for a 15-year-old friend of Meraz who they believe inflicted the fatal injury.
So, October was a deadly month-we counted a stunning 16 murders-and 2026 has been a deadly year. But how deadly? We asked the Commissioner point-blank for a murder count-and incredibly, he would not share the number:
Jules Vasquez: "What is the murder count as it stands right now? I estimate over 100. I haven't done my own audit, over 100. And if it is at 120, let's say, would you say that an indictment on you, that that your leadership has failed to effectively suppress homicidal violence in Belize?"
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police "I believe, what we have done, and it definitely has not reached a hundred. I am 100%.We have had a spike in this month. It's a figure that I'm not pleased with."
Jules Vasquez: "You can say the figure, we're all friends."
Dr. Richard Rosado: "Well, I practically mentioned it, but it's a... it's a figure that I'm not happy with. And hence the reason extraordinary circumstances call for the use of extraordinary tools."
Notably, the site where we usually get our stats, the Belize Crime Observatory, has not been updated since March, and the police no longer invite the media to Compstat meetings.
Tonight, police constable Dexter Diego is in prison staring down a 21-year prison sentence.
This is after he was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old minor in 2023.
In July of this year, Diego pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. And today in his sentencing, Justice Nigel Pilgrim subtracted time served and sentenced him to 21 years, eight months, and seven days behind bars.
While incarcerated, Justice Pilgrim ordered that Diego must undergo mandatory counseling and psychiatric treatment for sex offenders.
We've already told you about the merciless spree of gang violence between Friday and Sunday that claimed seven lives.
But it was also a terrible weekend on the highways. There were also four lives lost in road traffic accidents over the weekend.
The first one happened on Saturday night and it claimed the life of a motorcycle driver in Billy White village.ACP Romero gave us those details:
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch "On Saturday the 31st day of October 2026, police responded to a road traffic accident in Billy White. Upon arrival, they saw a pickup and a motorcycle with damages. The driver of the pickup was identified as Elmer Mendoza, and the driver of the motorcycle was identified as Jaime Sanchez. Mendoza reported that he was driving his vehicle when he signaled to turn and he stopped on the highway when he heard a loud bang, and he came out to check and saw the motorcycle being driven by Jaime Sanchez had slammed into the back of his vehicle. Sanchez received several injuries and he was taken for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. An NIP was served, a sketch plan was drawn, and an investigation is being carried out."
And then on Sunday, a fatal RTA in Bullet Tree village resulted in another fatality. The victim collided into a lamppost and died on impact. First responders had to use the jaws of life to get his body out of the mangled wreckage.
Police told us more:
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch "On Sunday, police responded to a traffic accident on the Bullet Tree Road, and upon arrival, they saw a Kia vehicle with damages. The vehicle had slammed into a lamppost. Information is that the Kia was being driven by Daniel John when he lost control of the vehicle and he collided into the post. He was taken to treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. An investigation is being carried out into this report."
The third fatality happened in Yo Creek, Orange Walk, on Sunday evening. The victim of this RTA was also the driver of his minivan, who was returning from Botes, Mexico. His passengers-including his 22-year-old wife and an 18-month-old baby-survived the accident.
Police told us more:
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch "Then on Sunday, police responded to a traffic accident again on the Yo Creek Road in Orange Walk. Upon arrival, they saw that a van had overturned. Police made checks where they saw the lifeless body of a male person. He was identified as Danny Lino, 21 years. Information is that Lino was returning from the Mexican border area, Botes, in the van when he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle overturned, causing injuries to him. He was taken for treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries. He had in the van three other persons, and they received injuries as well and are being treated at this time."
The passengers who survived were aged 22, 16, and the 18-month-old toddler, who sustained an open cut wound to the abdomen area and open cut wounds to both arms and legs.
The fourth fatality also happened on Sunday evening, but this one in the west, on the George Price Highway in the Cotton Tree area, where there was a collision between a vehicle and a motorcycle.
Two people were on that bike and the passenger was fatally injured. Police told us more:
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch "Then on Sunday again, police responded to a traffic accident between Miles 44 and 45 on the George Price Highway. Upon arrival, they saw a pickup with damages and a motorcycle. Information is the pickup was being driven by Mario Cano when he again tried to turn on the highway, when a motorcycle with two occupants slammed into the vehicle. One of the persons on the motorcycle, a passenger, Joselyn Garrido, received several injuries. He was taken for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the motorcycle was Benedicto Guerra, and he is being treated for his injuries."
"An NIP was served and a urine sample obtained, and an investigation is being carried out into this accident."
Turning back now to yesterday's press conference-many of the viewers on our live stream sharply criticized the police staff officer for curtailing the press and cutting off questioning during important questions.
Jules Vasquez took a closer look:
Michel Chebat, Minister of National Security "The citizens of our country deserve to know what is being done to reduce the level of criminality we have experienced, and thereby increase citizen security."
For sure, the public has a right to know, and that's why they held a press conference on a Sunday-very rare,if not unprecedented-but justified after a 48-hour span that saw seven murders. The Minister, the Commissioner, the CEO for another ministry, and two Deputy Commissioners-before a room full of two dozen officers in their khaki uniforms.
Clearly a high-priority day for law enforcement and a matter of urgent public interest, but from the jump,moderator ASP Stacy Smith took an aggressive posture with reporters, intent on limiting how much we could ask and how deep we could probe:
Reporter: "Yeah, whenever you're ready, Stacy."
ASP Stacy Smith: "ASP Smith."
Reporter: "Sorry, forgive me."
Jules Vasquez: "Are you able to say what motivated the quadruple homicide on Friday morning? It was exceptional in the number of rounds used-you will know it is close to 100 expended shells that were found-in the caliber of weapons used: you will know that it's 9mm,.223, maybe .45 or .50 caliber. And in the orchestration, in terms of the people were followed, I guess they knew they were coming. It's not a crime of opportunity. It was orchestrated. Is it motivated by gang rivalries related to the attack on Ronlee Petillo's house in Belmopan, which got 40 shots, or is it related to the drug trade?"
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police "The investigators... the incident that transpired on Coastal Plain Highway is due to an internal feud within one of the factions."
Jules Vasquez: "And... the level of firepower, can you comment on that?"
ASP Stacy Smith: "(Next media house...)"
Dr. Richard Rosado: "The..."
ASP Stacy Smith: "Next media house, I'll take your question, Mr..."
Jules Vasquez: "He wants to answer it, man. Let him answer it."(Rosado smiles)
And while the moderator even got her own boss to sheepishly shrink from answering a legitimate question, she also browbeat the media:
ASP Stacy Smith: "You guys are all Channel 5."
Paul Lopez: "But I was only given one question, you know."
ASP Stacy Smith: "Paul Lopez, that was not one question."
Paul Lopez: "That was follow-ups."
ASP Stacy Smith: "That was three questions."
Reporter: "Everybody else get three."
Reporter: "Can I ask a question?"
ASP Stacy Smith: "I will give the final question to Mr. Cayetano from Channel 5. 'There is another engagement that the head table has, as well as myself.'"
An urgent engagement late on a Sunday afternoon-when there were so many more burning questions which the public wanted answered. But it was all of a piece: a briefing tightly orchestrated like a stage production, offering the appearance of a diligent law enforcement initiative, but offering up little more than the usual boilerplate solutions and the perpetual reflex: an SOE. The oppressive atmosphere certainly caught the attention of this Senator who made a post about it, but hopefully, the Minister's words will offer some hope going forward for more productive engagements:
Michel Chebat, Minister of National Security "I must say that we had planned to have a media briefing this coming week, but these circumstances have overtaken that plan. I am committed to meeting with the media as frequently as possible, to share developments and to respond to your questions as best as possible. The media also has an important role to play, and I appeal to you to stop politicizing and weaponizing."
And from yesterday to today-when police held a fresh briefing-to outline the details of the State of Emergency, which went into effect on Saturday, October 31st, and will last for a period of 30 days.
Deputy Police Commissioner Bart Jones outlined the SOE regulations today, detailing curfew hours for minors and restrictions on public gatherings:
Bart Jones, Deputy Commissioner of Police "So schools can continue to operate even within those particular areas as normal. In respect to curfew, I know that was one concern in respect to curfew in the particular area, the curfew is only restricted to minors-a minor is anybody below the age of 18. Minors who are unaccompanied by an adult, those are the only... in respect to curfew. There is some provisions in there as well that speaks to loitering and public drinking, which is the law already, generally, and also assembling in groups of three or more persons once you are within that particular area, so it is unlawful to be gathered with three or more persons within in certain public spaces."
"Where in fact that you are in the particular area and, for example, there is a wake, there is a church service, some lawful public event, maybe a sporting activity, then certainly those, yes, we will not stop those from happening. We are mostly looking at those who may be gathered in groups where we reasonably believe that they may be up to some mischief, or they may be targeted for actions by others, because as I said,many times persons are gathered and socializing, and that is when they are targeted, too. So that is the reason for that."
"The curfew is between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following day."
DCP Jones also gave us details on the tribunal they have formed to review the cases of persons being detained under the SOE.
This is a legal requirement which was missing from previous SOEs-and that omission was noted by the Court of Appeal when it ruled against them.
He explained the duty of the tribunal and how it will function:
Bart Jones, Deputy Commissioner of Police "Efforts are being made now to install the tribunal, the review tribunal that will seek to review those persons that we do in fact detain to ensure that the review process in terms of their detention or their continued detention will be determined by the tribunal, that those will start to flow very soon, as opposed to in the past where we would have left that, the tribunal would have started to operate almost to the end of the period of emergency."
"While the initial days of period of State of Emergency is 30 days, that does not mean that if a person is detained under the detention order for that particular... for under this SOE means that they will remain in, necessarily remain in custody for the period of the SOE. But the detention will be concurrent with interviews in respect to investigations that are concurrent to which they are suspected to be involved. Where we have reasonable suspicion that they are involved, so it will not be a wholesale... to put another way, a wholesale detention of persons for 30 days and that is it. So if a person is detained and perhaps after five days or whatever period it is determined that there is no evidence in respect to him, and so those detention orders will also be revoked if that is the case. As I said, it will be targeted to the least extent that it can affect the general public."
Police have also made an arrest in the execution-style murder of Dodrick Madrill, which occurred on Thursday.
ASP Smith explained the motive they established that led to the teenager's murder. She described it as an implosion of intra-gang violence:
Voice of Relative, Brother-in-Laws Detained "If the boys are in here for more than 96 hours, they are in here locked up, and last night people are still dying, so what are they trying to say, State of Emergency will solve that? That will never be solved, people will still be dying. The police need to do their job and stop them when they put them at their post, they need to stop smoking their weed, drinking their beers, and stop letting the gunman them pass them with their parohones, and tell them stop hanging out with the gang bangers."
Jules Vasquez: "But legally, they can't hold them for that amount of time."
Voice of Relative: "Yes, it is illegal, and that is why we are taking it to court."
Jules Vasquez: "Yes, but they must in that time release them and then make them..."
Voice of Relative: "They never did get a release."
Jules Vasquez: "No release?"
Voice of Relative: "No release."
Jules Vasquez: "That is unconstitutional."
Voice of Relative: "Yes, very."
Voice of Common-Law Partner, Common-Law Husband Detained "But all I have to say is he just came home, because they had already abstracted him already. He just came home, he not even has been home for seven days."
Jules Vasquez: "And they came to detain him when?"
Voice of Common-Law Partner: "Then they detained him Wednesday."
Jules Vasquez: "Wednesday? And then they have him hold since then?"
Voice of Common-Law Partner: "From since Wednesday they have him hold."
Voice of Common-Law Partner: "Every day I come here."
Jules Vasquez: "But you realize that is illegal, right?"
Voice of Common-Law Partner: "I know, I know. From the 48 done, I know they shouldn't hold them once they don't have anything to charge them for, they can't hold them for more than a 48. But what they do now,they took him to a different precinct, arrest him over at the next precinct to get the second 48 hours."
Jules Vasquez: "He has any charge yet?"
Voice of Common-Law Partner: "He has no charge. He has a clean record."
Jules Vasquez: "But now they will send him up on an SOE, most likely."
Voice of Common-Law Partner: "Well, they will send him up because his second 48 is up and they still haven't let him out. And when you go ask the officers for anything, they have a big simple attitude. They tell you they don't want to give you any information, they act like your people are dogs."
And while his department has been criticized by the Association of Defence Attorneys for detaining persons for more than 48 hours, the Commissioner doubled down on his policing strategy when we asked about it:
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police "Our detention is constitutionally tied to ongoing investigation, and it's based on investigative lead and intelligence from proactive policing. Hence the detention."
Police have also made an arrest in the execution-style murder of Dodrick Madrill, which occurred on Thursday.
ASP Smith explained the motive they established that led to the teenager's murder. She described it as an implosion of intra-gang violence:
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer "Firstly, as it relates to the murder of Dodrick Madrill, as a consequence of that investigation which is still ongoing, police have formally arrested and charged a 16-year-old male minor as well as 31-year-old Emerson West for the crime of murder. They were jointly charged for the crime of murder. This investigation was greatly advanced through the use of technology located at the Crime Fusion and Operation Center, which captured the incident as well as the aftermath. The motive as it relates to this incident has so far been established or suggested to be inter-gang rivalry."
"What in terms of the security climate in terms of gang violence, we have witnessed both internal rivalry as well as external gang rivalry. This one in particular is the result of time implosion that is happening in a particular gang, and as I indicated at the last press briefing and the Commissioner reaffirmed today, these types of incidents prove to be the most challenging to police because there are persons who are very intimately familiar with the mode of operation of each other, and they generally operate within a tight geographical area. So policing these incidents are more challenging; however, we remain committed and we are pursuing all leads that are available, and we are using all resources."
As you heard, two persons have been arrested and charged for the Madrill murder.
But their arraignment was halted today after both accused told the Chief Magistrate they wanted to give their side of the story but were afraid because they did not know which police officers they could trust.
The minor reportedly insisted that the allegations against him were untrue and said he was tired of what was being reported in the media and wanted an opportunity to tell the truth. The Chief Magistrate advised them that the courtroom was not the place to give their statements and directed that they be taken back to the Queen Street Police Station to speak with investigators.
Police have made an arrest for a brazen armed robbery that occurred in Orange Walk last Wednesday.
ASP Smith explained how surveillance and camera footage have assisted them in making an arrest for the man who allegedly rented the car used in the crime:
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer "Police have formally arrested and charged Tayshaun Jones of Belize City for the offense of participation in a criminal activity in association with a gang. The arrest of Mr. Jones follows the ongoing investigation into the robbery that occurred in Orange Walk whereby three male persons were observed on a vehicle... exiting a vehicle and proceeding to rob that proprietor of items of jewelry."
"As Commissioner Rosado has emphasized on many occasions, we are moving towards a more technologically sound department. The cameras have assisted greatly in our investigative capabilities and we continue to pursue resources that allow us to have more intimate and deeper analysis of these technological cameras. I know a great deal of lobbying is being done with a particular agency which is to provide us with the AI technology that allows us to allow more officers to be on the streets whilst at the same time ensuring that the monitoring of these incidents are done. The cameras have assisted us greatly; they show us what led to the incident on many occasions, and they allow us to trace these vehicles, and that has assisted us in motive. As I indicated, all of these incidents, the vehicles that were utilized were identified, and I would also like to take this opportunity to echo what the Minister said in his address in relation to the Ministry's position in terms of resisting the rental vehicle situation, because the vehicle that was used in the robbery in Orange Walk was a rental vehicle. And there are plenty of rental vehicles that were used in the commission of these incidents. So certainly we are looking at ways, and the charge that was preferred against Mr. Jones on this occasion is in relation to his participation in the provision of a particular vehicle that was used."
And in the final piece of police news tonight, there was an aggravated burglary in Belmopan on Saturday at the Quality Poultry Products branch in the capital city.
According to reports, the assailants made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and a weapon belonging to the security guard. ACP Romero gave us more details today:
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch "On Saturday, police responded to an aggravated burglary report at Quality Poultry in Belmopan. Upon arrival, the security guard reported that he was at work when he was attacked by five male persons who hit him to the head. Thereafter, he was tied up and they stole his 9mm pistol. Thereafter, they broke into the building and stole an amount of cash. We are seeking five suspects in regards to this aggravated burglary."
"Yes, there are cameras and we are reviewing those."
Reporter: "Would you be able to say what was taken? The value?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "Some cash was taken."
There was also an aggravated burglary reported to us this morning at a well-known Belize City electronics business, but police would not provide details.
Toledo East Area Rep Flew On Maya Island Air's First Resumed Flight to Punta Gorda Following Tropic Air Exit
Tropic Air may have closed its doors in Punta Gorda on Saturday, but Maya Island Air reopened its route there the following day.
As we have been reporting for the past month, Tropic Air announced it would cease operations in Punta Gorda because it wasn't profitable. Toledo residents protested the decision, demanding social responsibility since they say they'd be partially cut off from the rest of the country.
Then Maya Island Air stepped up.
They resumed service to PG yesterday and Dr. Osmond Martinez was on board. He told the media about it today:
Osmond Martinez, Minister of Economic Transformation"I was on that flight, so we landed in Punta Gorda around 9 a.m. "
"So practically they continue with the same schedule that was established there by traffic before, which we have a flight that leaves Belize City at 8 in the morning and lands in Punta Gorda at 9."
"Then I believe there is one that leaves Punta Gorda around 10 in the morning that lands at the international airport around 11, and that works more closely with the for tourists."
"And then there is another one that goes back, I believe it's around 2.33 to Punta Gorda from the international airport, and then another one coming from Punta Gorda to Belize at 4 p.m."
"I did send two requests to the BTIA chapter, Punta Gorda chapter's president, Mr. Robert Pennell. I said, Mr. Robert, I want you to convey two important messages to your membership."
"One is that we need to start to work on the sustainability plan of the tourism sector for Punta Gorda and the Toledo District. And it has to be all hands on deck."
"It cannot be only governmental alone. It cannot be only private sector alone. It cannot be only BTIA alone. You know, it has to be all hands on deck."
"And it's important to highlight that we have started to develop a strategy on how to increase the tourism activities in the Toledo District through the World Bank."
"So that study is now, or the study and strategy has been completed, of which I have asked BTIA PG chapter's president, Mr. Robert, that we will have a full discussion in Punta Gorda with all the stakeholders as to start to look at what are the items that we will need to implement in order to continue to increase the feasibility, well, to continue to increase tourism into Punta Gorda."
"So that was one."
"And the second one is that there will be an enhancement to the airstrip in Punta Gorda, because that was already on plan and it was even announced, you know, including the improve of lights in the Punta Gorda airstrip."
"And so I have asked them to please find, or BTIA can advise us when it will be the best time for us to work on that airstrip so that it won't disrupt the services into Punta Gorda with Maya Island Airline."
The incentive package given to Maya for the PG route includes duty-free fuel and the undertaking that the government will pay for flights to PG rather than driving there.
Placencia Village Council Takes Direct Action to Fight Severe Beach Erosion and Sargassum
The Placencia Village Council is fighting beach erosion and sargassum. And they aren't waiting around for the government to set out a plan of action.
They met Friday with business owners and tourism stakeholders to outline the immediate steps they'll take to prepare for the high season.
Today we spoke via Zoom with the chairman, Warren Garbutt, who told us more about their short-term plan:
Warren Garbutt, Chairman, Placencia Village Council "We're fortunate that we don't have much sargassum on the beach, but the damage that it has done to the beach in eroding the beach, it's still there. It's recovering very slowly, but it definitely needs a lot of help in getting back to some sort of an appeal that we can share with visitors, attracting visitors to Placencia-as you know, that's the number one goal of the beach in Placencia."
"It's not something against the government, it's not where we feel the government is doing nothing. There is definitely a very slow response to actually addressing the issue in very short-term measures, and not only that,but there was quite a bit of pressure from the business community, the property owners, not seeing anything being done. So they actually prompted us to call this meeting we had last Friday and for us to share with them what we've been doing, discussing with central government and the relevant agencies; however, they feel that it is urgent that we get some of the short-term measures going before the start of the tourist season, which is just a couple weeks away."
"The short-term measures are a couple things: just replenishing of the beach. The erosion study, as you know,was done recently and the recommendations from that was beach nourishment-so basically pumping sand that is eroded right back up on the beach, that is the quickest, cheapest action that can be done to restore the beach. There's also other options-there's some source of sand on the peninsula as well as a little further north that can be trucked in, so there's a few things that can be done to replenish the beach in the very short term to address the really bad erosion, the worst we've seen it in so many years, so basically just some pumping of the sand."
Minister of Econ. Transformation Promises Government Assistance for Placencia Beach Erosion Relief
But today the Minister of Economic Transformation said that GOB will step in and provide assistance to the village council. Here's how he put it to the media today:
Osmond Martinez, Minister of Economic Transformation "When we attended the World Bank's annual meeting in Thailand with the Prime Minister, uh, the World Bank has committed to help with 10 million US dollars."
"Um, IDB, on the other hand, has the 20 million US dollars that they can assist with."
"Um, but for us to, uh, be able to, to access the funds from IDB, practically we will have to declare the Sargassum a crisis similar to any other natural disasters, whether it's, uh, hurricanes, flood, drought, or, um, even, um, uh, fire, you know."
"Uh, and so that is one of the discussions that we're having internally within the government, whether it's necessary to declare it a crisis."
"But yes, uh, we're working on, on, on, on that to see how we can facilitate them."
"But also we're looking at the sustainability component whereby we can do the public-private partnerships where the private sector can participate more heavily into it."
"And so we had experts from Taiwan, um, in Belize when the Minister of Foreign Affairs from Taiwan visited Belize."
"And one of the things that they are looking at is how they can turn the Sargassum into, uh, pellets that will serve as biomass so that they can turn it into energy."
"And, but there are certain procedures or certain practices that must be implemented, and one of them is that they will need to harvest the Sargassum before it reach Belize's shores."
"If not, it will be contaminated with sand and metals, and then it will be hard to become a biomass."
Reporter "But it won't be immediate assistance, and they're saying, uh, they need help with the start of the high season now."
Osmond Martinez, Minister of Economic Transformation "They will be getting assistance. The government and, uh, when, in general, cabinet has been working on it. And so, um, one of the things that we are being tasked of is to have a proper plan because yes, help. What is help? Okay."
"How will you mitigate the issue? So for example, in Monkey River, we had to use a proper design in order to, um, assist with the mitigation of the erosion problems. So what are the mechanisms?"
"What is the model or the system that we will use in order to assist, um, in order to assist, uh, the people of Placencia and that peninsula that is so wonderful to Belize?"
Placencia Peninsula Experiences Abnormal Tourism Downturn Ahead of Peak Season
Whether it's caused by sargassum or beach erosion, Placencia, like the rest of the country, has seen a sharp decrease in tourism numbers these past few months.
Garbutt told us that the slow season was abnormal and it could be felt throughout the peninsula:
Warren Garbutt, Chairman, Placencia Village Council "You could feel it in the village. It was a lot slower starting, I would say just after Lobster Fest in July. August felt really slow. September, October is usually quite slow, although in those months we would get quite a bit of local travelers, which boosts our local economy quite a bit, and even this year it was lower than past years. From the business community, they've been feeling as well. For the first time, I think... this year, businesses usually close for a couple weeks during the slow season for renovations, to give their staff a break, but this year I think most of them closed for a month and even longer just because of the slow visitation numbers, as well as the beach being in such a deplorable state. It was a rough year. This year has been a rough year for businesses along the Placencia peninsula."
Belizean Music Community Mourns Tragic Passing of "J Cas"
Tonight, music lovers across the country are mourning the loss of 28-year-old Justin "J Cas" Castillo.
According to reports, Castillo took his own life on Caye Caulker on Saturday morning.
It is an unspeakable tragedy for his family and loved ones, but also devastating for music lovers and the artist community.
Castillo was special, talented, and singular in the truest sense of those words.
Tonight, Jaleeza Roberts looks at the legacy he leaves behind:
J Cas, We "Reminisce Over You"
J Cas also left an indelible mark right here at Channel 7; his voice is behind the Sunup theme song that starts your morning every day. Tonight, we honor his talent, his memory, and his legacy. Justin Castillo was just 28 years old.
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Tonight, parts of the Belize and Cayo Districts are under a State of Emergency. That oldest trick in the crime prevention book was activated on Saturday after a spree of violence between Friday and Saturday left seven dead.
"Today, a proclamation by Her Excellency the Governor-General under Statutory Instrument 130 of 2026 brought into effect a State of Public Emergency in the Southside and Northside of Belize City,certain parts of Belize District, and certain parts of the Cayo District."
"We are aware that the decision of the Court of Appeal is going to go before the... the... the Caribbean Court of Justice. So we are... we know we are pending that, but it is one of the tools that the police has that it can use to implement to control the violence that we are experiencing. And at this point in time, because of the level of violence we have experienced, we must exhaust all the tools that we have to fight crime."
"Following a careful and rigorous assessment of the recent security developments and the realization that the situation on the ground had reached a critical level, a State of Emergency was declared."
And it was a working weekend for Minister Michel Chebat. On Sunday he had to meet the press, and on Saturday he had to meet the gangs. What we are told was a mediation session was held at the House of Culture here in the city. When we posted that story on Saturday, it was met with howls of disapproval on social media.
And a gang-related murder occurred in Ladyville while Chebat was heading that mediation session in the city on Saturday morning.
ASP Stacy Smith: 
And then by Saturday night, the murder scene switched back to Belize City, where a gunman opened fire at a group of men-just a few feet from a fully manned police booth on Cemetery Road.
And a few hours later-early on Sunday morning in Punta Gorda Town-a 17-year-old was stabbed to death following an altercation with his friends, five male minors.
Tonight, police constable Dexter Diego is in prison staring down a 21-year prison sentence.
We've already told you about the merciless spree of gang violence between Friday and Sunday that claimed seven lives.
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch
And then on Sunday, a fatal RTA in Bullet Tree village resulted in another fatality. The victim collided into a lamppost and died on impact. First responders had to use the jaws of life to get his body out of the mangled wreckage.
The third fatality happened in Yo Creek, Orange Walk, on Sunday evening. The victim of this RTA was also the driver of his minivan, who was returning from Botes, Mexico. His passengers-including his 22-year-old wife and an 18-month-old baby-survived the accident.
The fourth fatality also happened on Sunday evening, but this one in the west, on the George Price Highway in the Cotton Tree area, where there was a collision between a vehicle and a motorcycle.
Turning back now to yesterday's press conference-many of the viewers on our live stream sharply criticized the police staff officer for curtailing the press and cutting off questioning during important questions.
Reporter: 
"So schools can continue to operate even within those particular areas as normal. In respect to curfew, I know that was one concern in respect to curfew in the particular area, the curfew is only restricted to minors-a minor is anybody below the age of 18. Minors who are unaccompanied by an adult, those are the only... in respect to curfew. There is some provisions in there as well that speaks to loitering and public drinking, which is the law already, generally, and also assembling in groups of three or more persons once you are within that particular area, so it is unlawful to be gathered with three or more persons within in certain public spaces."
Police have also made an arrest in the execution-style murder of Dodrick Madrill, which occurred on Thursday.
Police have also made an arrest in the execution-style murder of Dodrick Madrill, which occurred on Thursday.
Police have made an arrest for a brazen armed robbery that occurred in Orange Walk last Wednesday.
And in the final piece of police news tonight, there was an aggravated burglary in Belmopan on Saturday at the Quality Poultry Products branch in the capital city.
Tropic Air may have closed its doors in Punta Gorda on Saturday, but Maya Island Air reopened its route there the following day.
"So practically they continue with the same schedule that was established there by traffic before, which we have a flight that leaves Belize City at 8 in the morning and lands in Punta Gorda at 9."
The Placencia Village Council is fighting beach erosion and sargassum. And they aren't waiting around for the government to set out a plan of action.
"It's not something against the government, it's not where we feel the government is doing nothing. There is definitely a very slow response to actually addressing the issue in very short-term measures, and not only that,but there was quite a bit of pressure from the business community, the property owners, not seeing anything being done. So they actually prompted us to call this meeting we had last Friday and for us to share with them what we've been doing, discussing with central government and the relevant agencies; however, they feel that it is urgent that we get some of the short-term measures going before the start of the tourist season, which is just a couple weeks away."
