Belize Central Prison

Islander 32-year-old Alvaro Luis Tun was arraigned at the San Pedro Magistrate Court on Tuesday, March 7th, for the death of 29-year-old Elder Arana. Although Tun claims he is innocent, he is charged with Murder. No plea was taken, and bail was denied. Tun has been remanded to the Kolbe Foundation-Belize Central Prison, and his next court date is set for May 31, 2023.

Over the past few weeks, police have arrested and charged several San Pedro youths for affiliating with local gangs. Recent court reports indicate that two more young islanders, Michel Deon Gamboa and Steven Vernon, both from the San Juan subdivision, have been remanded for this offense within the first week of 2023.

Police are investigating a case on the island where an island resident lost $23,000 to a local contractor. Police formally arrested and charged San Mateo construction laborer 32-year-old Mark Alexander Botes for ‘Obtaining Property by Deception.’ Botes was arraigned at the San Pedro Magistrate on Friday, October 14th, and was offered $5,000 bail that he could not meet. Botes was remanded to the Belize Central Prison, where he met bail and is now reportedly back on the island. He is scheduled in court in San Pedro on November 17, 2022.

On Monday, October 3rd, reports from the Belize City Supreme Court revealed that three former San Pedro police officers were found guilty of Manslaughter for the 2016 death of island resident Edwin Ixpatac. The three accused, Rommel Logan, Reydel Teck, and Jahisir Cobb, stood in front of Justice Ricardo O’Neil Sandcroft and, after the verdict, were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until November 9, 2022, when the former police officers will be sentenced.

On September 30, 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries inaugurated the Visiting Justices Program at the Kolbe Foundation, Belize Central Prison. This long-awaited inauguration is timely since the last time the program was utilized was in 2008.

Over the years, shipwreck survivors have unintentionally ended up on Belizean shores. Whether they run aground on the barrier reef, experience engine trouble, or drift off course, the treatment from Belizean authorities, according to reports, is inconsistent. According to recent incidents, some are cleared and allowed to leave after being assisted, while others are imprisoned, and arrangements are made for their removal from the country.

Retired Belize Defence Force Captain Derricia Castillo Salazar avoided remandment at the Belize Central Prison after meeting a $2,000 bail following her arraignment at the San Pedro Magistrate Court today for Wounding. Salazar is accused of stabbing a female in the face during an altercation around 2AM on Sunday, August 15, at a hotel in San Pedro Town.

The lobster season officially opened on June 15th, but a few days before this date, some fishermen were caught with out of season products (lobster and conch) within the Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR). This was the result of increased enforcement efforts by HCMR between June 13th and 15th, leading to the successful prosecution of eight fishermen. They were charged and fined for possession of lobster during the closed season, possession of conch during the closed season, possession of undersized lobster, possession of lobster with spawn, possession of soft shell lobster, possession of lobster with berries removed, fishing within a conservation zone, engaging in spearfishing within the Reserve and fishing without a valid fishing license. The total amount in fines amounted to $13,180 BZ, and one fisherman of Guatemalan nationality was remanded while the others met bail.