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, we have an interview with Prime Minister John Briceño, recorded shortly after his return from the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
But first, the critical diplomatic context that set the stage over the weekend.
On Saturday morning, Prime Minister Briceño addressed the General Assembly, delivering a blunt and uncompromising statement directly accusing Guatemala of an unauthorized incursion into Belizean airspace. The response was swift-within 24 hours, the Guatemalan delegation exercised its right of reply. Here is how that tense exchange unfolded on the world stage:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "Belize informs this assembly of a serious breach of international law committed on the ninth of twenty-third, September twenty twenty-six, when a Guatemalan military aircraft entered Belize's sovereign airspace and intentionally, intentionally disabled its transponder."
"This act violates the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, customary norms governing state aircraft, and the inviolability of territorial sovereignty protected under Article two four of the United Nations."
"This incursion is not an isolated one."
"It forms a part of a continuing pattern in which Guatemalan state vessels and personnel operate unlawfully in Belizean territorial waters of the Sarstoon River, which forms part of Belize's border with Guatemala, in defiance of obligations binding on both parties to refrain from any action capable of aggravating or extending the dispute presently before the International Court of Justice."
"The case is scheduled for hearing in February twenty twenty-seven."
"Guatemala's conduct risks prejudicing the Court's authority and undermines the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes enshrined in Article thirty-three of the Charter."
"Belize therefore calls upon Guatemala to immediately cease all incursions by air, land, or sea, to comply fully with its obligations under the UN Charter, the Chicago Convention, and the OAS confidence-building measures, and to respect the integrity of the ICJ process."
Guatemala Representative "Guatemala categorically rejects the serious accusation that a plane of the Guatemalan Air Force overflew the territory of Belize. This flight never happened."
"At all times, Guatemala has respected its obligations on the basis of the UN Charter, including Article two, Paragraph four."
"We recall, and we would like to tell Belize, that there are already mutually agreed upon monitoring mechanisms such as the one in the office administered by the Organization of American States in the aforementioned area, and we will be asking that office to investigate the supposed incident."
"And for this, we will submit all relevant reports and even the plane in question."
"Both states have recognized the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to put an end to this territorial, insular, and maritime dispute."
"Guatemala deeply regrets that Belize uses this forum to spread misinformation using this territorial dispute with Guatemala as an instrument for domestic policy."
"This is a flagrant violation of the two thousand and five agreement and undermines the confidence-building measures."
"The General Assembly is not the appropriate forum to discuss issues that have currently been referred to the International Court of Justice."
But the Prime Minister isn't fazed by Guatemala's scolding at the UN, even though they accused him of misrepresenting the truth and playing politics with the territorial dispute.
He returned to the country this afternoon where we met him at the PGIA. When we asked him about Guatemala's response, he said it didn't matter because we have the evidence that there was indeed an incursion into our airspace:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "The flight did happen. The evidence is there. You have many amateur people that follow flights in their own app, they saw it. We have the evidence here, so there's nothing to dispute-it happened."
Reporter "Do you feel like the Guatemalans were impeaching your statesmanship and gaslighting Belize by insisting this flight didn't happen?"
John Briceno: "It doesn't matter what they say, because the entire world knew what happened, and of course, probably they're trying to save face. I don't know what they're trying to do. The point is that it happened. They should have never been here in our airspace, and if they wanted to do that, they should have asked permission from the country. And secondly, they broke an international treaty from ICAO that look after transponders. They took off their transponders-obviously they knew that they were in the wrong and were trying to hide it."
And while the PM was unfazed by the Guatemalans, he got very hot under the collar when we asked him about his wife's official visit to Guatemala over the weekend.
Special Envoy Rossana Briceño flew to Guatemala City from New York on Friday to participate in the Inter-regional Meeting of First Ladies and First Gentlemen, chaired by Guatemala's First Lady, Dr. Lucrecia Eugenia Peinado.
She made a social media post about the event on Saturday, which was published just minutes after PM Briceño concluded his address at the UN General Assembly denouncing the incursion.
But when we asked the Prime Minister about his wife's visit, he referred to this morning's Beef on Sunup and basically told Jules Vasquez to keep her name out of his mouth. Please note that the interview includes explicit language:
Courtney Menzies: "Isn't it a bad look for your wife to then visit the Guatemalan President's wife?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister "I was expecting you to bring up that topic. Let me start by making a point. I don't care if Jules Vasquez is an asshole with me, and that is his right, and if that makes him feel like a big man, that's okay. I choose to put my name on a ballot. I choose to lead my party as the Prime Minister of this country, and I am fair game. My wife is not fair game, and he needs to understand that. Rossana served this country as a teacher. When she was 18 years old, she went to Stella Maris and worked there for a whole year without pay."
"And she went to study, and she has given all her life to help children with special needs and became among the best principals in this country. She retired. I asked her to take up this position. She has this position with no salary."
"So he can be an asshole with me, that's fine, but not my wife. And I want to make that abundantly clear to him: leave my wife out of this. Attack me, not my wife. When it came to this trip, when we were in New York, she asked me, she said, 'John, do you think I should go to Guatemala?' I said, 'Yes, because you're not invited as a state of Guatemala, you're invited representing the country of Belize.' She was invited being the wife of the Prime Minister, so she was there representing Belize. And while she was there, the President apologized to her, told her to please tell me, apologize about what is happening, because sometimes there are people-not his words, my words-there are people within the military that want to do as they wish. So I want Jules Vasquez to understand: leave my wife out of this. Attack me, not my wife."
We note that the PM confirmed that his wife went representing the country of Belize.
So was Jules disrespectful? You can judge for yourself when the Beef repeats at 8:00 tonight on Channel 7.
He then told us they will hold discussions with the Guatemalan Ambassador and will also recall the Belizean Ambassador for consultations:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "There's a number of things that we want to do, and remember when that happened, I was leaving the country. And so I will be meeting with the Foreign Minister and also the National Security Council sometime this week, and there are different things we want to do. One is that I will recommend we call in-if the Foreign Minister hasn't done it as yet-call in the Ambassador from Guatemala in Belize for an explanation as to what's going on. And also I will recommend, if the Foreign Minister has not done it, is to recall our ambassador to come in and for us to be able to have a deep discussion as to what is going on. What has been done is unacceptable, and as I said in my speech in the United Nations Assembly is that it seems that the Guatemalan military is trying to play some kind of games now that we're going to the ICJ, trying to destabilize this process, and we will not allow that to happen. Of course, we will be talking to the friends of Belize-to the Americans, to start with. We were going to talk to the Americans, and the British, and the Canadians, the OAS, with everybody for them to understand that what Guatemala has done is unacceptable, and this is not how democratically elected countries behave or how good neighbors behave."
"At the same time, it is important that we always remain connected with the Guatemalan Government. We are neighbors-that's not going to change. We believe that at the ICJ, we have every confidence that we are going to win that case, so we have to maintain good relationships with Guatemala.
And the next Cabinet meeting is expected to have a full agenda. According to the PM, one item will be exactly what the Deputy Prime Minister lamented last week. You heard Cordel Hyde say his party needs to get back on track and do some soul-searching. Briceño said the PUP is all about social justice and they will look at more ways to ease the burden on consumers:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "The PUP is always a party of renewal and soul-searching. As I mentioned in the State of the Nation, how much work we have done for the people of this country, how much work have we done in trying to address the issues of the cost of living, because it's something that we understand and that we discuss every single day. And he is in Cabinet, and he has supported all of these initiatives that we've done, and I can understand where he comes from. Cordel represents among the poorest constituencies in the area, one of the areas where we have a lot of social problems, so I could understand him saying that. And so when we get into Cabinet, we are going to discuss it and see what more we can do, what else can be done, how can we continue renewing and innovating and energizing the party. But one thing that does not change: we are a party that is based on social justice. The minute we lose that, then we cannot be a member of the PUP."
And his response to Hyde was very different from his public scolding of Julius Espat. And while he was clearly upset with Espat's statement, will he ask Espat to stay on as Minister of Home Affairs permanently? Here's what he told us:
Reporter: "Julius Espat as Police Minister, will you keep him?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister "That is something that I should decide, not something you announce to the media. When that announcement is made, you will know."
And we also asked the PM about the Tribute to Belizean Patriots, specifically regarding an AI-generated video honoring Gwendolyn Lizarraga and the Independence Internationalization Team.
As we reported, the video was riddled with errors, including misspelling Lizarraga's name. Briceño said it's regrettable, but it's the attempt that matters:
Courtney Menzies: "What do you think of the AI-generated video that was made to honor Gwen Liz that spelled her name wrong?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister "It's unfortunate. But I think we must commend the people from the Ministry of Culture trying to make the history a bit more interactive and interesting. Probably in the haste, nobody sat down and took a look at it, but I don't think we should hit them for that, but at least congratulate them for at least trying to put some kind of images and some kind of story into the life of Gwendolyn Lizarraga. Imagine in the '50s, she was way ahead of her time. She spoke in public, and she drove a Land Rover, and she had a gun, she used to go out there and get things done-I don't want to say like a man, because she did it better than most men."
"So my regret is that we have not named her a hero of Belize a long time ago."
Courtney Menzies: "So then do you think we will see her eventually on the banknotes?"
John Briceno: "I guess so, why not? Of course we should, but I think when you print new banknotes, that's something that can be discussed. If you ask me, of course we should. I'm in full support."
We spoke with the Cabinet Secretary, who is the Secretary of the National Honors and Awards Advisory Committee. He told us he plans to apologize to the Lizarraga family about the misspelling. He explained it was their first time using AI in that format, calling it a lesson learned. When we asked about the video's cost and whether they will get a partial refund from the producer, Ignite Media, he said he didn't know and would follow up.
A former National Elite Basketball League player is the city's latest murder victim.
We spoke to the mother of the slain athlete today, who told us her son was leaving her home after visiting her on Antelope Street Extension when he was gunned down. Jomarie Lanza has this story:
Throughout the BBL season, Antonio Flowers was regularly featured in team updates on the EZ Investments Griga Dream Ballers' official page. Today, though, he was there for tragic news. The 25-year-old was shot and killed Sunday night while visiting relatives in the vicinity of Antelope Street Extension in Belize City. ACP Romero says investigators are currently seeking a lone suspect.
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "Information is that he was walking on the street when he was followed by a male person who pulled out a firearm and fired several shots towards his direction, causing his fatal injuries. We are reviewing cameras in the area at this time, trying to establish a suspect for this murder."
Reporter: "Is he known to police?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "Yes, he is known to police. He had been dealt with for crimes in the past."
When we spoke with Flowers' mother this morning, she told us that he was still alive when they shot him, and passed away shortly after at the KHMH.
Voice of: Tanya Lobo, Mother of Deceased "But yesterday evening was the last time I saw him. He was walking down like he was going to the Boulevard from back here. He was at the shop with me, and then he said, 'Mom, I'm going.' And I said, 'Okay, papa, I love you, take care, keep off of the street.' And he said, 'Yes, Ma, you go in too, because I don't want anything to happen to you.' And while I was home in my bed, my daughter called me and said, 'Mom, I think they shot Tonio.' I said, 'No, mama, how will they shoot Tonio?' And she said, 'Yes, hurry up and come,' and ran from where I lived to here, where they shot him. Then the police said I couldn't pass, so I just stood up out here and wait until they were done. And then they told me... I got a call that they said he passed away."
Reporter: "So when you got out here, he was still on the ground?"
Tanya Lobo: "No, no, they already took him. They took him quickly to the hospital, so he was not on the ground motionless or nothing like what the news is saying. He was still... people say he was still breathing when they took him to the hospital."
Lobo says that her son never mentioned to her that he was being threatened by anyone.
Tanya Lobo, Mother of Deceased "No, no, no, they always tell me... they always talk to me and thing. We have good communication skills, me and my kids, and none of them mentioned that they are threatening them, and I haven't heard any talking back here like anyone wants to do him anything or so. So I don't really know what happened."
Not only does Flowers leave behind a grieving mother, but also a developing basketball career. Both Lobo and a member of the EZ Investments Griga Dream Ballers say that Flowers dedicated a huge part of his life to basketball, having both a talent and a deep love for the sport.
Tanya Lobo, Mother of Deceased "Well, Antonio was a good person, you know. He used to like to play ball, but before he played ball, he used to ride races in the junior team, and he used to win. He has a lot of trophy on that, and then he went to the basketball. He was playing for Tiger Sharks, then he went to Dangriga, then he played for Griga Dream Ballers."
Reporter: "So he has been playing for years?"
Tanya Lobo: "Yes, he has been playing for years. From he was young, he has been playing ball, and he loves his sports and thing. And then he came down to see me because I was sick, and I told him I was sick and in bed, and he came down to see me after his birthday. He just turned 25 the 21st of September right here."
Carolyn Jang, Social Media Manager, EZ Investments Griga Dream Ballers "Antonio has been with Dream Ballers for two years. I am not quite sure of what position he played, but he was our sixth man-we considered him our sixth man as he was the first player off the bench every game. He was somebody who was dedicated to the sport. Whenever he was on the court, he had that hard drive and always pushed himself and the team to do better to ensure that we came out with the win.
"It's shocking, and we are in awe as he was eager for the new season to start to get back on the court, so we are lost for words at this point."
"Although he had his ways, he was there for those that he loved and for his team, and we could have always called on him whenever we needed him there."
Immigration and Customs workers reported to work at the Benque Viejo del Carmen Border this morning to find a chilling message written in red, displayed on a white sheet tied onto a gate.
It says in Spanish, "Chief of Customs, You Leave or You Die," and names the Officer in Charge of Customs at that border station, Luis Betancourt.
The incident has since been handed over to the Belize Police Department, and when we followed up with them today, they told us they are reviewing surveillance video:
ASP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "This morning, police went to the cargo area at the Customs Department where they saw some writings, a threat on a piece of cloth. The scene was processed, and we are currently conducting an investigation and reviewing video footage to see who placed that piece of cloth with the writing at the gate."
Jaleeza Roberts: "Any cameras within the area?"
ASP Hilberto Romero: "Yes, there is a camera there, so that is being reviewed to see what can be seen on the footage."
Reporter "In terms of how police is treating this investigation, is it a matter of the individual safety or to the entire Customs?"
ASP Hilberto Romero: "Well, the writing had a name, so that is what we are looking at at this time."
Jaleeza Roberts: "But it is a targeted threat to just one individual within that department?"
ASP Hilberto Romero: "Yes, it had some threat and the surname of one individual."
Jaleeza Roberts: "So in terms of security, what is police doing to protect that individual?"
ASP Hilberto Romero: "There are security guards posted in the area, and security will be improved in the area."
While the crude banner could be dismissed as just a random act of vandalism, we note that the adjacent Benque Free Zone is known to be a major hub for the tobacco trade and smuggling of cigarettes into neighboring Central American countries-a trade which invariably involves underworld actors and large sums of cash.
Police are investigating an attempted burglary after the suspected burglar ended up at the KHMH with a gunshot wound. He got the wound from Senior Superintendent Chris Noble, who said he saw the men breaking in with crowbars.
ACP Romero gave us details:
ASP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "On Sunday around 4:00 a.m., police responded to a shooting at Compassion Lane in Ladyville. Upon the arrival, they received information from a senior officer in the area who reported that he responded to a burglary in progress where he saw two male persons armed with crowbars. He shouted at them to stop, but thereafter one of the male persons fired shots towards his direction. He then took cover and returned fire. Thereafter, a male person showed at the KHMH with gunshot injuries-he was identified as Devon Grant of Belize City. We are currently launching an investigation into this report. The scene was processed where several expended shells were found. Grant remains in stable condition at the KHMH."
Jaleeza Roberts: "No charges levied yet?"
ASP Hilberto Romero: "Not as yet, he is still receiving treatment."
Reporter "Has police confirmed that the victim was burglarizing the place?"
ASP Hilberto Romero: "No, he saw two persons attempting to burglarize the house. They had crowbars and they were attempting to pry open the burglar bar door and window."
There was a carjacking in Sand Hill on Saturday, where the victim was blocked off in the middle of the road near Mile 16 by the culprits. ACP Romero gave us more details:
ASP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "Then on Saturday, a Sandeep Kumar reported that he was driving on the highway when he was followed by another vehicle and he heard gunshots. The vehicle went in front of him and blocked his way. He then stopped his vehicle. Two male persons came out armed with firearms, they then hit him to the head with a firearm, they dragged him out of the vehicle and thereafter stole his vehicle. Then drove off towards the direction of Belize City. Police responded to the report. A search was conducted by Maxboro where the two vehicles were located-the Honda vehicle and the suspect's vehicle. Both vehicles have been processed and we are looking for two suspects. The suspects have fled from the area and were not found."
There was another organized crime armed assault-this one at the Caribbean International Brewery office in Independence Village-during which masked men stole an undisclosed amount of cash and a company-issued handgun.
The robbery happened shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday, at the brewery located across from Escalante Service Station.
According to police, 37-year-old Ping Kang Yang, the Chinese manager of the brewery's warehouse, was loading a truck with products for delivery when he noticed a gray Kia car without license plates entering the compound.
Four dark-complexioned men, with their faces covered, reportedly exited the vehicle.
Police picked up the story from there:
ASP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "Then on Sunday, Kang Yang reported that he was at his business place, CIB Brewery in Independence, when a Kia vehicle arrived in the area and four persons exited the vehicle. They were all armed with firearms. They held him up and they stole a firearm, a 9mm pistol, and they asked for the keys of a safe, and thereafter they took documents and an undisclosed amount of cash from the safe. Thereafter, the male persons fled from the area, and no one was injured. Thereafter, the vehicle was located at a banana farm in the Bella Vista area."
Last week, we told you about a shooting that happened in the Maya Ranch area in Cayo, which left 35-year-old Alfred Mahler hospitalized. Mahler was targeted by individuals who approached and followed him in a grey pickup truck and a red pickup truck. ACP Romero gave us an update on the investigation: one person-who is a squatter on the land-has been arrested and charged for the shooting:
ASP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "In reference to the shooting of Alfred Mahler, we have since arrested and charged Dan Lopez for the crimes of attempted murder, dangerous harm, and use of deadly means of harm. A .223 rifle was recovered, which was the weapon used."
Dan Lopez has been charged before for shooting a police officer in March of this year-that was also during a standoff at the Maya Ranch property. On January 2nd, he was also accused of shooting at the property manager.
PC Luwis Pascascio was previously placed on interdiction for an aggravated assault upon another police officer, PC Jose Mejia. The alleged assault happened back in May at Puma Gas Station on Freetown Road, where it is alleged that Pascascio slapped Mejia.
Pascascio appeared in court today, where the magistrate informed him and his attorney that the matter has been dismissed due to a missing case file. The court reporter spoke to Pascascio outside of the court this afternoon and asked him what his next action will be now that the charges have been dropped:
Luwis Pascascio, Charges Dismissed "The matter was thrown out-the prosecution could not produce a case file."
Reporter "What charges was against you in court?"
Luwis Pascascio: "Aggravated assault."
Reporter "This is upon?"
Luwis Pascascio: "A police officer. An incident that happened from May, and I have been coming to court over and over, and they can't get their act together, so the matter has been dismissed. And so me and my attorney will sit down and decide how we will..."
Reporter "Were you ever presented with any kind of disclosure?"
Luwis Pascascio: "No."
Reporter "Nothing? How many appearances did you make before today?"
Luwis Pascascio: "I think it is about five appearances."
Reporter "So what is next for Mr. Pascascio?"
Luwis Pascascio: "Well, me and my attorney will sit down, and we will proceed with legal actions now."
Pascascio was represented by attorney Oscar Selgado.
Two weeks ago, we first told you about the potato and onion prices hitting the market. Since then, we've shown you how much cheaper those products are in Mexico-where the BMDC gets its supply from.
Well today, BMDC gathered all media houses, and Jaleeza Roberts went looking for the price of the produce:
Today the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation held a press conference with the media to introduce us to what they do at their company but also to address the elephant in the room, the cost of vegetables hitting the markets which is resulting in the consumers being affected. They explained to us that they work as a business and need to cover costs, freight, overhead and all the logistics for the company as well as ensuring farmers have what they need, but are these profits reasonable for Belizeans, we asked them:
Jal - "What's the profit margin on vegetables that you import?"
Valentin Carillo, Admin for BMDC "16%, some go a little up some go a little down you know but always 16%. Like the onion it reached 7% last week and because it's too high, the price is high for onions and so we mark it we put only about 10% but at the same time let's say the potato we put it at 20% and so forth."
Jal - "That's the percentage in profits that you're talking about? That you all see?"
Valentin Carillo, Admin for BMDC "Yes."
But even at 16% the prices still don't add up because right across the border we see big gaps between the prices as we had reported previously. Last week the marketing board held a meeting with importers and the idea of opening up the monopolized market came up:
Jal - "Would you be able to tell us if you all are considering opening the market?"
Valentin Carillo, Admin for BMDC "That is not up to me, it's up to the minister's desk because marketing board is just an importing agent so that's not my decision, if the Ministry decides you know what let them apply for permit and sometimes for example they deny it or you know you know it's them that decide."
But we got through to an importer who has been in this business for many years and has been observing the ins and outs of importation and they now have concerns:
Lester Lemus, Business Owner/ Importer "We have been very concerned with the high prices marketing board has been bringing in as well as the low quality of products I understand that you guys went today and did a Did an interview and the products look very well today But you know It's the consistency that they don't have and also the prices we've noticed that has been for too long very high And this is causing every Belizean, you know Every potato, every lettuce and we feel it's not right and we call on the ministry to do the right thing."
"We do want some results and we we want this to change It's been going on for too long and we can no longer have our people paying this high prices, especially on monopoly on monopolized products we understand that BMDC role in in this operation is what really has spiked prices And it's very concerning. It's it's like a dollar twenty cents per pound of potato It's about two three dollars per head of lettuce."
"So it's all these products a day import."
But their concern boils down to the monopoly as if there's only one provider then they can do as they wish without any guard rails:
Lester Lemus, Business Owner/ Importer "They control the quantity quality and the pricing they being the sole importer they can wake up tomorrow and bump up the price another $20 or being that they under the public pressure they had reduced the price about $30 per bag, but that still doesn't justify, you know the high prices but then being the sole importer is what really drives the cost up because they, they can sell the products to whatever price day they feel convenient or in whatever way they work then."
"This is what is concerning, you know that you can get a bag of potato for so cheap across the border And this is only one and this is products have been moved from Mexico City to Chetumal with a profit already and we could get it there for less than a hundred dollars a bag. We can land it in San Ignacio for like $135 a bag so I'm with a profit so for them to be selling at these prices it's it's very concerning and I wish for them to explain you know why because why would they go all the way to Mexico City to buy and the prices are still very high."
And this is what they proposed in the meeting:
Lester Lemus, Business Owner/ Importer "We proposed to them that we need to promote competition like before have all importers to bring in their amount of potatoes and we'll see who bring it cheaper and the best quality As well as we also understand BMDC role and and their social responsibilities that being said I think that we can pay them as we used before we pay them a percentage for every bag that comes in and we can pay it up front on the permit that way BMDC removes all those challenging logistics that they talk about and They don't take any risk they can also they will only receive, you know, a piece of the profit on every entry."
So what will happen in the meeting this week and will the markets open up? Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
But the question remains: are consumers being taken advantage of with these increases? The importer swears that he can bring in produce at a lower cost, but with a monopolized market, that makes it hard:
Jaleeza Roberts: "Do you think that they are taking advantage of the consumer?"
Lester Lemus: "Yes, they are, and they've been doing it for too long, and keeping quiet is what's really keeping this alive. And I think it's, it's, it's time for everybody to know what's going on, and it's time for a change, and I call for the, for the people in government to do the right thing."
Jaleeza Roberts: "Are vegetables arriving at the best market price?"
Lester Lemus: "No, they're not. Vegetables should be a lot cheaper than they are."
Jaleeza Roberts: "Do you think that there's price gouging?"
Lester Lemus: "Yes, definitely. And this is just the tip of the iceberg-there's a lot more products, but I think this is a good starter, especially these commodities. They're very important to our daily diet."
Reporter "What do you think is the price that you can bring it across while still making a profit?"
Lester Lemus: "I believe at $130, $135. As prices are as today at $130, $135, prices still remain in Chetumal for 20 pesos a kilo, which comes out to like $94, $95 Belize, with duties and transportation we can easily bring it to the country for $130, $135."
Reporter "So how do we arrive at this $185, to between $185 to like the $200 margin?"
Lester Lemus: "Well, Marketing Board, when the prices remain the same, they were selling us at $195. And by the time we add up our cost to take it from Orange Walk to San Ignacio, Belmopan, Belize City, wherever we're going, the prices will go to $10, $20 more, and they don't have an explanation why the potato was high. They came up with exchange rate, with freights, with whatever. But, but like I said, this is, this is where we come in, because we understand the operations, we know the cost of shipping and landing these products in Belize, and we've brought to them to their attention, but it seems it's not going anywhere."
Tomorrow, we will have a look at the importer who supplies the BMDC.
The Taiwanese Foreign Minister, Lin Chia-lung, is currently in Belize on an official visit. According to Taiwanese media, Minister Lin will meet with the Prime Minister, the Governor General, and the Foreign Minister. He will also inspect several Taiwan-funded projects, including the San Pedro Hospital, a 50-unit social housing project, and the proposed site for the Taiwan-Caribbean Prosperity Academy.
But when we asked Briceño what their discussions would entail, here's what he told us:
Courtney Menzies: "The Taiwanese Foreign Minister is here in Belize. What will you guys be discussing with him?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister "I don't think that's something I should discuss with the media until we finish discussing."
Turning back to the UN General Assembly, you've heard what the PM had to say about Guatemala. But he was even more blunt when he discussed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that it was not right for a war criminal to speak at the UN:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "In Palestine, the legal and moral test is unambiguous. It is an affront to this Assembly and to humanity to be forced to listen to a man justify apartheid and genocide when he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Our complicity lies in decades of failing to ensure Palestinian self-determination and in refusing to treat Israel for what it is-a settler colonial state. The genocide must end. The apartheid must stop. End the occupation and decolonize Palestine."
Good news tonight for those living along the Belize River: the Department of the Environment last week announced that water quality has officially returned to normal following an early August fish kill. According to the DOE, recent testing shows conditions have fully stabilized back to baseline levels.
Technical teams from the Department of the Environment have been conducting on-site water quality sampling throughout the affected area since the event occurred in early August 2026.
Recent analysis confirms that key environmental parameters are all within normal, safe ranges. In addition, they say that specialized testing conducted on fish organs detected, quote, "no chemicals of concern."
The department has now installed a stationary water quality monitoring system at a strategic location on the Belize River. This automated system tests key parameters every 15 minutes, issuing immediate alerts if sudden changes occur.
Environmental officials plan to install a similar monitoring system in the New River next month.
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Tonight, we have an interview with Prime Minister John Briceño, recorded shortly after his return from the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Guatemala categorically rejects the serious accusation that a plane of the Guatemalan Air Force overflew the territory of Belize. This flight never happened."
But the Prime Minister isn't fazed by Guatemala's scolding at the UN, even though they accused him of misrepresenting the truth and playing politics with the territorial dispute.
"The flight did happen. The evidence is there. You have many amateur people that follow flights in their own app, they saw it. We have the evidence here, so there's nothing to dispute-it happened."
And while the PM was unfazed by the Guatemalans, he got very hot under the collar when we asked him about his wife's official visit to Guatemala over the weekend.
And the next Cabinet meeting is expected to have a full agenda. According to the PM, one item will be exactly what the Deputy Prime Minister lamented last week. You heard Cordel Hyde say his party needs to get back on track and do some soul-searching. Briceño said the PUP is all about social justice and they will look at more ways to ease the burden on consumers:
And his response to Hyde was very different from his public scolding of Julius Espat. And while he was clearly upset with Espat's statement, will he ask Espat to stay on as Minister of Home Affairs permanently? Here's what he told us:
And we also asked the PM about the Tribute to Belizean Patriots, specifically regarding an AI-generated video honoring Gwendolyn Lizarraga and the Independence Internationalization Team.
A former National Elite Basketball League player is the city's latest murder victim.
"Information is that he was walking on the street when he was followed by a male person who pulled out a firearm and fired several shots towards his direction, causing his fatal injuries. We are reviewing cameras in the area at this time, trying to establish a suspect for this murder."
Carolyn Jang, Social Media Manager, EZ Investments Griga Dream Ballers
Immigration and Customs workers reported to work at the Benque Viejo del Carmen Border this morning to find a chilling message written in red, displayed on a white sheet tied onto a gate.
There was another organized crime armed assault-this one at the Caribbean International Brewery office in Independence Village-during which masked men stole an undisclosed amount of cash and a company-issued handgun.
Last week, we told you about a shooting that happened in the Maya Ranch area in Cayo, which left 35-year-old Alfred Mahler hospitalized. Mahler was targeted by individuals who approached and followed him in a grey pickup truck and a red pickup truck. ACP Romero gave us an update on the investigation: one person-who is a squatter on the land-has been arrested and charged for the shooting:
Luwis Pascascio, Charges Dismissed
Two weeks ago, we first told you about the potato and onion prices hitting the market. Since then, we've shown you how much cheaper those products are in Mexico-where the BMDC gets its supply from.
Valentin Carillo, Admin for BMDC
Lester Lemus, Business Owner/ Importer 
The Taiwanese Foreign Minister, Lin Chia-lung, is currently in Belize on an official visit. According to Taiwanese media, Minister Lin will meet with the Prime Minister, the Governor General, and the Foreign Minister. He will also inspect several Taiwan-funded projects, including the San Pedro Hospital, a 50-unit social housing project, and the proposed site for the Taiwan-Caribbean Prosperity Academy.
