Schools are generally seen as safe havens for children, who can ordinarily find great comfort in knowing that their playgrounds and classrooms are free from the infestation of crime. But St. John’s Primary School was the unfortunate target of robbers who hit the school on the first day of class in September. The three armed robbers themselves were young and no doubt should have been in school. They were after the school’s registration monies, but managed to make off with only $50, jacked from the school’s principal.
Even more troublesome was a range of indiscriminate, daring, and violent crimes, from the Belize-Guatemala border to the Caribbean Sea – and especially two terrifying grenade attacks – which punctuated the news for the last part of the year.
Even as violence was plaguing the City, there were outbursts on the border, with illegal Guatemalan encroachers firing on Belize security forces who caught them stealing forestry resources such as xate and mahogany in the Columbia River Forest Reserve in Toledo. The attack was on a multi-agency team of 16, made up of soldiers and personnel of the Bladen Nature Reserve and Ya’axché Conservation Trust, who were on patrol. The YCT has since discontinued patrols in the reserve, leaving it in the hands of the security forces, citing the clear and present danger to their staff. Later in the month, a BDF who let his guard down while on mission in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in Cayo, was chopped on his neck by a man believed to be an illegal xatero from Guatemala, because of the manner in which he aggressed the soldier.
Back in Belize City, pandemonium erupted near the close of this year’s Carnival Day Road March on September 6 on Princess Margaret Drive, when someone tossed a hand grenade wrapped with a black plastic bag in the vicinity of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. By the grace of God, those amassed to view the parade emerged unscathed, as the grenade did not detonate. As if this was not bad enough, rival groups reportedly exchanged gunfire a short distance away, causing some to suffer serious injuries. BDF bomb expert, Major Requeña, retrieved the deadly grenade – which authorities later learned had actually originated from the British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB). Ten days after the scare, Richard Flores, 19, of Buttonwood Bay, was arraigned for the attack.
How the grenade got into the streets was the big question, which would come to be answered on November 14, when a second grenade, coming from the same source, was tossed on the Southside, off Fabers Road. Innocent children and elderly were at risk of suffering serious harm. This one did go off, and by the grace of God, no one was harmed. It was reported later that month that BATSUB had lost 24 grenades 4 years ago, and the public was never told!
As challenging as it was to contain crime in the streets, it was apparently another challenge to keep the criminals behind bars. There were a series of escapes in 2008, but this became an issue of sharp focus when there were two escapes reported in less than two months, the second instance being two Guatemalans and a Belizean who were said to have freed themselves. As we had reported, the escapees were Guatemalan Rene Morente, serving time for aggravated burglary and also remanded on a murder charge; Guatemalan Rene Ramos, serving time for carnal knowledge; and Belizean Raul Barahona, serving time for kidnapping and robbery.
The record high inflation of 2008 made the losses experienced by victims of burglaries so much more painful, as the effective value of the dollar relative to what it could buy in 2008 was decreased. Information from the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) only confirmed with official data the pain and hardships that households had been experiencing because of skyrocketing cost of living. For example, inflation in the food, beverage and tobacco category had registered a massive change of 12.3 percent over the same period last year, and 4.3% over the previous quarter. SIB records published for 1991 to present indicated that it was the biggest spike for the 17-year period. Flour prices were up 51%, rice prices – 21%, chicken prices – 13%.
It is inarguable that Belizean law enforcement authorities had their work cut out for them in 2008, not just with the usual types of crimes that affect the community, but with a newly revealed wave of drug smuggling through the main commercial port in Belize City. The Customs Department in particular came under major pressure, as a series of ephedrine shipments were detected, and as we had pointed out in the previous part of this series, had seemingly disappeared or been jacked by elusive operatives in the trade.
The situation got so volatile that in late September there were reports reaching our news desk that Customs officials had been under serious threat of bodily harm from a notorious international drug cartel, allegedly the Mexican Gulf Cartel, which had been using Belize as a transshipment point. This was on the heels of another container jacking right off the Belize City compound. Customs insiders, who later faced interdiction and criminal charges, were fingered as being a part of the cartel’s network. Documents were forged and falsely cleared in the names of companies that claimed they had no part in the transactions. The ephedrine epidemic persisted.
The woes inside the Belize City arm of the Customs Department continued even up to the second week of December, when it was reported that a 9mm pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun had disappeared from its “strong room,” a ferroconcrete structure with no windows and one steel door, at the Caesar Ridge Road Warehouse.
On a positive note, in early November Customs reported that they had impounded three vehicles and confiscated illegal weaponry and ammunition hidden in a barrel destined for Corozal.
Another issue that led the news in the last part of the year was the worsening state of the world economy, and the ripple effects on Belize. One immediate consequence that Belize has experienced as a consequence of changing world economic tides was the complete disappearance of windfall tax earnings – a major pre-election issue by the ruling United Democratic Party. Skyrocketing oil prices presented a great opportunity for the Government to try to improve the country’s take from petroleum earnings. But no sooner had the Government implemented the windfall tax in September, than the price begin to fall, and in a matter of weeks, fallen below the US$90 a barrel threshold that the Government had set for the levying of the windfall tax. So much for that! For his part, Prime Minister Barrow had said that while windfall taxes would be lost, the upshot of that would be that with oil prices down, production costs and pump prices would finally get some ease – which he felt should be cause to celebrate.
In an exclusive story carried in Amandala this year, we did a well-researched piece on the leading causes of death among Belizeans. While it has been clear that a large number of Belizeans die from acts of violence, there are many who pass away from silent lifestyle killers, chief among them being diabetes. Health Minister, Hon. Pablo Marin, had remarked that, “More than 60% of our population over 20 is overweight. More than 30% is hypertensive, and more than 13% is already diabetic.” The #1 killer in Belize for 2007 was diabetes mellitus – known widely in Belize as “sugar,” or high sugar levels in the blood. It was the single biggest killer between 2005 and 2007, but competing for that top spot were homicide and injury, transport accidents, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, and hypertensive disease (locally known as “pressure”).
2008 was a year of unusual crimes, and on top of the grenade attacks, ephedrine epidemic, and teen-led rampages, was a string of rapes at knifepoint blamed on Leroy “Nuts” Gomez, 22, of Oleander Street, who turned himself in to police in the presence of his mother, putting an end to a police manhunt. Gomez was later stabbed while on remand at prison. Authorities were concerned about whether the rapist was passing on an STD, and possibly HIV, to his victims, whom the rapist had also jacked of their cash and cell phones.
On the finance front, much of the news in 2008 was dominated by the battle over the US$10 million Venezuela housing grant, and the need to have that money in the hands of the poor badly in need of housing was highlighted when the dilapidated building that housed a family of 9 collapsed on Seagull Street. In just over a day, Port Loyola area representative Anthony “Boots” Martinez led the construction of a replacement lumber home for the family.
2008 saw UDP Minister of Transport, Melvin Hulse, put into effect a new zoning system for buses, but even as the year winds to a close, the major bus operator, National Transport Services Limited, a reincarnated Novelo Bus Line, continues to challenge the restructuring of bus routes, in the Supreme Court. When the Transport Board issued new permits under the zoning system, it meant that National Transport would operate only in the west zone, and runs in the south and eventually the north were to be discontinued. There had been fierce opposition, both via protests and court challenges, from the Novelo brothers, David and Tony, to the new system. The operator, at the end of the year began mass terminations, claiming that because of the downsizing of its runs it could no longer keep the workers. In late December, the Transport Board lost its Supreme Court bid to stop Novelo from putting extra buses on the northern route.
The Belize City municipal elections convention for the United Democratic Party saw a record turnout of Belize City voters, overwhelmingly endorsing the incumbent, Mayor Zenaida Moya, despite serious allegations from the elected members of her council of wanton spending and misappropriation of council funds. In a highly energized campaign played out both in the City’s streets and in the media, primarily on national TV, contenders faced off over allegations surrounding the spending of public funds. Most notably, in the very days leading up to the convention, Moya’s colleagues appeared on national TV calling on her to return $90,000 they alleged she had overpaid herself.
Undaunted, Moya held her ground, and contended that she got what had been agreed and what she deserved for being the only full-time elected official working at the council. The numbers spoke for themselves, but as the convention dust settled, questions began to emerge as to how Moya financed her campaign. Allegations abounded that Michael Ashcroft dollars oiled Moya’s machinery, but when questioned on KREM Radio, she made only general statements that she had been financed by several people and businesses in the community who believe in her candidacy.
The terrible panic surrounding the meltdown in certain factions of the world financial markets and the mayhem on Wall Street had Belizeans concerned over how the country would fare off. Official Government sources conceded that there would be real impacts for Belize, as remittances would very likely see a substantial decline and tourism had already been seeing a downturn due to shake-ups in the markets. However, Government claimed that Belize’s financial sector had no need to fear, and its foreign holdings were not in jeopardy.
Belizeans saw the Barrow administration make some decisive legislative changes, purportedly to toughen gun laws in what it said was a move to combat the growing problem of gun violence. So there was understandably major public outrage when the government freed four Mexican soldiers who had made it well inside Belizean territory with firearms that had not been declared at the Belize-Mexico border, where the weapons should have been surrendered. The Ministry of National Security claimed that the soldiers were released under the Vienna Convention – an explanation that did not wash with critics, who said that the circumstances did not warrant the application of those treaty provisions.
The biggest news in October was the unprecedented floods, spawned by a mere tropical depression (#16). Massive expanses of land in the Cayo, Belize and Orange Walk Districts were under lakes of water, while Stann Creek, Corozal and Toledo were affected to a lesser extent by the rains. The impact of the floods continued to be felt by several hundreds of families and households well into the holiday season. However, the Government was quick in helping victims restore their lives to normalcy, and the absence of controversy over how supplies and aid were dispatched is a clear indicator that relief efforts were, for the most part, professionally handled.
Belize was not the only country affected, as Honduras and Guatemala also declared states of emergency, having suffered widespread flooding on account of the same tropical depression. The National Met Office reported that the rains had broken extreme records for the month of October. A total of 84 villages were reportedly affected, and two canoe incidents at the time of the floods proved fatal for 5 people.
Darien Banks (also known as Darren Banks) was the most noted name in the crime news for 2008. Banks had been charged in relation to the attempted jacking of an ephedrine container at the Belize City Port compound. He was also charged in April for possession of guns and ammunition, in August for attempted murder, and in October, again, for attempted murder. In a bizarre turn of events, when Banks returned to court in November in relation to the last charge, he talked about seeing a big hole and snakes in court, and the magistrate ordered a psychiatric evaluation of him. His relatives claimed that he had lost his mind because of being tortured while on remand in prison.
Leading off the December headlines were reports that former Prime Minister and ex-PUP leader, Said Musa, and his former right-hand minister, Ralph Fonseca, ex-PUP national campaign manager, had been arraigned on theft charges at the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court because of the diversion of the US$10 million Venezuela grant to the Belize Bank for the payment of the debt of Universal Health Services. Both men maintained the charges were bogus, but using her famous Shirley biscuit and orange juice analogy, DPP Cheryl-Lynn Branker-Taitt contended the case is a very strong one that should make it to trial.
Meanwhile, in mid-December, Taejron Bennett and Joseph Kee, charged with the double homicide of brothers Philip and Kevin Brannon, were set free when the DPP claimed in court that a key witness, Fitzroy Yearwood, was unable to testify. The following day, however, Yearwood expressed dismay at the decision, claiming that the DPP had made him to understand that because of his medical condition she would endeavor to use his written statement instead of having him appear on the stand. Yearwood declared that if he had needed to drag himself to court to testify, he would have done so. The DPP had indicated that her office reserves the right to recall the case, but there were questions raised in the public domain as to whether, if and when that happens, the men would still be around to stand trial.
In a historic signing on Monday, December 8, 2008, in Washington, D.C., Foreign Affairs Ministers of Belize and Guatemala signed a special agreement or compromis – the document that they propose to submit to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a final and binding decision on Guatemala’s territorial claim to Belize. The signing took place at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS). Even before the signing, there was already a fierce public debate over whether Belize should have ventured into such a signing, that would allow a foreign power to determine where the country’s borders lie and whether Guatemala’s still undefined claim to Belizean territory holds any water. Both Belize and Guatemala are required to conduct national referenda before the decision is final, but even before that, legislators in both countries are expected to say whether the compromis should even be put to the people for a vote.
Even as the debate raged on about the Belize-Guatemala compromis, another controversy was brewing over the illegal incursion of Leonel Arellano, a Guatemalan, at the Maya village of Jalacte, Toledo, where he reportedly cleared a road and hilltop and erected a storage container upon a concrete foundation for unauthorized cattle ranching operations in Belize. At the close of the year, the structure still remained upon Belizean soil. Way back in early November, even before the structure was erected, Belizean nationalist Wil Maheia sounded a public alarm that the road was being built, but Government did not take immediate action. Arellano proceeded to build the structure at Jalacte, undeterred by locals and security forces.
Controversy surrounded the December 21st shooting death of a high-profile Belize City businessman Ben Abou-Nehra, who police forensic examiner, Mario Estradabran, later said most likely shot himself. Meanwhile, relatives and friends of the deceased have challenged the allegation of suicide. Abou-Nehra’s body was recovered from a hotel room in San Ignacio, where he was staying with fiancée, Evita Bedran, 22. Earlier that night, he had reportedly been engaged in two confrontations – the first at Benque Rock disco in Benque Viejo, and the second in the parking lot of the San Ignacio Hotel with one of the hotel’s security guards. Back in September 2005, Abou-Nehra had been charged for the shooting death of Shawn Copius, first with murder, then with manslaughter, but the case later fell apart after the policemen who dealt with the case claimed they could not identify him in court. The officers were later found guilty of an act to the prejudice of good order and discipline against the Police Department.
A number of other security officers ran afoul of the law during 2008. In another case, two soldiers – sergeant Emerson Michael, 30, and Corporal Henry Williams, 29, were charged in court late December with keeping ammunition without a gun license after police allegedly found them at a checkpoint search with various weapons and at least 1,300 rounds of 5.56 ammunition. The men are due to reappear in court later this month.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Robert Mariano, faced suspension by the Security Services Commission amid investigations surrounding the smuggling of a case of contraband Appleton rum, which police said was put inside Mariano’s official vehicle by Corozal businessman, Israel Rancharan.
The year 2008 closed with sharp public debate over the move by NICH president, Diane Haylock, to grant a concession agreement to Belizean businessman, David Gegg, for a restaurant and shopping facility on a piece of property attached to the Caves Branch archaeological reserve. By the end of December, NICH’s board had voted for Haylock’s termination, and Cabinet adopted the position that it could not support the agreement. Haylock was at the time out of the country on vacation, and did not respond to our e-mail requests for comment.
Rounding out December were a series of murders which left grieving families with gaping emotional wounds and a series of unanswered questions. A laborer and father of three, Jermaine Sanjay Trapp, 29, was fatally shot, even though he was not the target of shooters that pursued him and Cameron Blease, 18, onto the premises of the Princess Hotel and Casino in Belize City. Blease was put on life support but later died.
Even as loved ones continued to mourn the lives lost from violent crimes, peace fighter Therese Felix, co-founder of the community organization, “Mothers Organized for Peace,” herself having lost sons to violence, passed away in October.
Belizean legend “Aunt Joyce,” Joyce Anabel Gill, was admitted to peaceful slumber in September at the age of 91, and Leigh Richardson, journalist, politician, and patriot, died at the age of 84, due to complications of an infection.
The best news closing out 2008 was that pump prices—which shot past the 11-dollar mark during the second half of the year—had taken a sweet dive below $5 a gallon, partly due to the downward spiral in fuel prices, and partly due to a fulfilled UDP manifesto promise to restructure the taxes on petroleum products. Butane prices also saw substantial declines by year-end.
The most heartbreaking revelation at the end of the year, however, was that 103 lives were lost due to murder, including the February 2008 Putt Putt massacre. These deaths do not include manslaughter cases, at least two of which include two girls, two years old, whose lives were stolen by abusers.
As we enter the first days of 2009, it is clear that violent crimes remain perhaps the most pressing concern for Belizeans, and the public outcry for more effective ways to bring down the incidences of major crimes is resounding.
One critical concern is the administration of justice, and the perception that the culprits of serious crimes too soon and too often find themselves back on the streets, unreformed and repeating the very crimes for which they have been made to walk free.