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But while the land dispute and the murder plot is one thing, the dispute in the tourism industry is quite another. That's because Dark Knight started the year without a valid tour operator's license, cease and desist orders were issued on January 8th and 15th, yet Dark Night just kept on operating. Today with cruise ships in harbor and hundreds of guests at Nohoch Che'en, Dark Night was fully operational, business as usual - but the local operators say it's never business as usual for Bradley Paumen - who consistently gets preferential treatment from NICH:..

Tour operators crowd the exit of the cruise terminals here at the tourism village fishing for the day's catch. When they get a bight they reel them in to places like this, the Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch Archeological Reserve. Laughing, and playing with these visitors are all in a day's work for these local tour guides. It is one of the biggest industries for foreign exchange but what happens when foreigners are the same ones that are taking over the industry? It is a reality that is frightening for most of these local tour operators who are out financed and outsourced by these big foreign investors. To add insult to injury there is a particular prejudice against them say the local tour operators.

Yohnny Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"After the last was open, we quit fighting on the media, because we saw the red had of NICH. BTB and the government getting involved. How can you fight the people who licensed you? My tour operator license is licensed by BTB. I go to the park, according to NICH and these are the people who we are fighting. We are fighting CHUKKA, when we are fighting Dark Knight. We are fighting our own institutions - our own government."

Last week Bradley Paumen, the owner of one of the biggest tour companies in the country Dark Night Cave Adventures was hauled into the public eye when he was arrested and charged for allegedly hiring a hit on his former business partner Michael Mudiri. Today Paumen is out on bail and while just last week Friday BTB told us Paumen's tour company is in noncompliance with their regulations for failure to renew their license, today at Dark Night's its business as usual.

Yohnny Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"I got, I think was pulled to the curve by an allegation that I was fighting Vitalino and the BTB took me to the board. In fact they took my license for a day - they suspended me. A whole bunch of thing, because I am a short Belizean man. But when you are tall, white and powerful, nothing stops you. Its embarrassing to know that Dark Knight is operating today. I know they employ Belizean people. I know they have Belizean workers, Belizean waitress, Belizean tour guides - Belizeans... but actually when the owner is held like in my case BTB dragged me immediately. They stop me here and they took me to the board almost instantly. I am not seeing that done with Mr. Paumen and like I said we knew the story, but we didn't want to get into it because it was very nasty. There were two America citizens and why would a Belizean want to get into an elephants' fight. So we knew and we didn't knew that it was going to get so nasty - trying to kill each other. But we knew it was a nasty fight."

Tom Greenwood - President, FECTAB
"The opinion maybe wrong, maybe right. We got to look at all angles of our people in the streets and I was right there with them this morning and the day before and we will be there again - if that it were a local person, they probably still be festering in Hattieville jail. That is the opinion of our people on the ground. But when they saw the vehicles, the busses from Dark Knight showing up at Terminal one, there was a little bit of a hullaballoo as Belize Tourism Board personnel and Tourism Police staff immediately brought everything to a halt, because they wanted to know what was happening. The word was that there were not operating, so the police and the BTB people on the ground had to react very quickly and they were very professional about it - extremely professional and eventually the matter was cleared up."

"FECTAB certainly think that there should be suspensions of activities right here at the beginning and we feel that being the sentiment of some officials as well. We've got to get something cracking. The concept too often is seen on the ground, that if you are a local you get hammered and if you are a foreigner you get kiss on the cheek and forgiven or allowed to continue. That has to stop."

Since the start of January authorities at NICH and BTB have started implementing more stringent regulations on tours where mostly local tour guides operate. The same cannot be said however for tours operating at Dark Night and the other private foreign owned tour companies.

Yohnny Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"Dark Knight is one of the worst things BTB and NICH and this government have allowed in this country. Because Dark Knight, they have no regulations, no 48 inches, no 8-1 - nothing. You go to our caves, if there are children that book with us, if they are 40 inches below or half inch, they embarrass us. They made look like we are illegal tour operators "these guys brought you here, they knew better" and they embarrass us. The whole crew at NICH treats us like some type of dogs, some type of fake tour operators and we have the same tour operator license that Mr. Paumen have. We have the same tour operator license that CHUKKA have."

David Almendarez - Fantasea Belize
"It's ironic that the guy who wins all the awards, the guy who is labeled the "good guy" who is a Drank Knight guy, is the guy in court right now trying to fight an alleged murder hot case. They view us at FECTAB as being criminals. They view us as being barbarians. We are the guys who are the persona none grata, but look at the people being hauled in front of court? And what's ironic again, just like the other white guy who got money and got bailed, who had millions of dollars, probably more than this guy and fled. They are saying we could release Mr. Paumen because he has enough assets to tie him to Belize. So you could release him to go back and do whatever craziness he's up to again. We have always seen how dark this knight is. But we have a tendency, because you are rich, we will take care of you. But you all locals who are making money who were born here and deserve to reap the blessings of our country we don't deserve it. We must shut up and go work for Mr. Dark Knight."

Yohnny Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"We are not asking to treat us like Paumen you know. We are not asking them to treat us like CHUKKA, just treat everybody fair. When they bring in the hammer, bring it on everyone local tour operator, except Ian Anderson, except CHUKKA, except Mr. Paumen. What is going on in our country?"

Reporting for 7 news Emanuel Pech

In response to our many queries to the Belize Tourism Board about the compliance or noncompliance of Dark Night's Cave Adventures, the BTB issued this statement, quote, "On Tuesday, January 19th, 2016, the company fulfilled all licensing criteria. A receipt was provided to them as proof of the completion of the application process. This is exactly the same procedure that is followed with all Tour Operators that have applied for renewal."

BTB added that because they continued to operate without a valid license, Dark Night will still be brought before the Tour Operators Committee for review of their license status, disciplinary actions and fines. Nothing was mentioned about the "Abetment to Murder" case hanging over the head of Dark Night's owner Bradley Paumen.

And tonight, two of his employees are in jail under that same accusation. Over the weekend Ian Skeen and mechanic Linzburn Anderson were picked up by police. The men are accused of delivering money to the hit-man to hire him to kill Modiri and another. Investigators say that Ian Skeen solicited the hit-man on Paumen's behalf. They were both charged with with two counts of "Abetment to Murder." Skeen and Anderson are expected to apply for Supreme Court bail hearing on Friday.