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
It all started with a heartbreaking video on Facebook showing a dog being physically abused in Cotton Tree Village. But tonight, we are happy to report a happy ending: the dog, formerly known as 'Big Boy,' has found a safe and loving home in the Cayo District. Jomarie Lanza met with the family who rescued him and spent some time with 'Buddy' in his new environment. Here is that story.
For the first time in his life, 3-year-old Buddy slept in the comfort of air conditioning, beside his new bed which he is still learning to get used to-without the worry or the fear of being regularly physically abused by humans.
It's a sharp reversal of fortune for the pitbull mix: just a few days ago, he was chained in a backyard in Cotton Tree, and was captured being repeatedly struck by his owner with a thick branch, and yelped in pain and fear. Gasoline was also poured in his eyes.
The video went viral and provoked outrage across the community, prompting many animal rescuers and activists to come forward.
One woman simply could not stand by and allow Buddy to endure another night of torture. She is Jessica Burch; she saved Buddy and took him into her care. She says it all started when she came across the disturbing video.
Jessica Burch, Dog Rescuer "Honestly, I couldn't sleep. Just every time I would wake up throughout the night, the first thing I would think about is where he was at, how he was feeling, the fear. And I just could not get it out of my mind. With the amount of dogs we have, I didn't think we could do another rescue, but at this point I was like, it doesn't matter what inconvenience it might be at the time or what routine we would have to change at home, I cannot, not help. So I didn't even tell my husband. I just was like, I will get him out of that situation, so next morning when he woke up, I explained to him and told him, 'Hey, by the way, we are going be fostering.'"
She says Buddy was taken off the property by someone who lived nearby, and from there he was handed over into her care. Burch moved quickly and took Buddy to a vet where his injuries were assessed and treated. She says despite the level of abuse he has endured, he was still receptive of human contact.
Jessica Burch, Dog Rescuer "And the severity of the abuse, from gasoline poured into his eyes to being malnourished, not fed, skin issues, the chain around his neck-he has got no hair, that's from the chain-you know, just the fear, us even opening the door scares him, which makes me think that whenever this man went to open the door to where this dog was, this dog knew it was not a good thing. And so we have to build his trust, and that's another reason why, for adoption purposes, if we were to foster and find someone to adopt, we are going to be very, very strict on the type of home he goes to, just because of his past."
"I'm just in awe at how fast he has responded to the love. He sinks his body into you. This morning I posted a few pictures-I literally woke up and came outside, my hair was not even brushed in those photos, but he came up and just put his head up on my chest, his leg up over my leg and pushed his head onto my chest after just having him just from the night, and he really just wants love. He really just wants love, and I think now he knows he is getting it."
Burch describes him as a 'gentle giant' and says his transformation over the past two days has been remarkable. He is no longer the frightened, injured animal seen in that video-he's now an affectionate dog who has finally found a loving home.
Jessica Burch, Dog Rescuer "Honestly, if he didn't have the sores and scars and the reactions he has with the fear, I would not have known that he had been abused, but just with how sweet he is, it just shows that they have unconditional love if it is given. And, honestly, I was thinking earlier, if that man were to walk into our door and he sees him, is he going to wag his tail because he knew of him as his owner, even though he was beat, or is he going to hunker down in fear because he was beat so much it broke him down? But he is not broken down."
"So this dog, honestly, I don't think he has a mean bone in his body, and he will never feel pain again from a human hand, and so aggression is just not in his personality."
Animal cruelty charges have not yet been filed against Buddy's previous owner.
Imagine nearly $50,000 suddenly appearing in your bank account, spending a large chunk of it, and then finding out it was never yours. That is the reality 34-year-old Kamera Belisle faced, and today she was sentenced for it in the High Court.
In March 2024, an error during a Belize Government Lottery transaction resulted in $47,935 wrongly deposited into Belisle's account. Belisle pleaded guilty to dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit. Today, Justice Candace Nanton spared her a prison sentence, placing her on two years' probation with mandatory financial counseling.
Her attorney, Norman Rodriguez, explained what happened at the sentencing today.
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney "The judge made her orders and the main gist of the sentence is that she was placed on probation after the court weighed her circumstances and the favorable presentation by the community rehabilitation officers, all those who had an opportunity to provide information for the documents the court normally takes into consideration when it's sentencing someone. She was placed on probation for two years, she has to do counseling, she has to report to an officer who will assign her duties which will help her to grow. Included in those orders are that she has to report to that officer and she also has to do some training in how to properly manage money."
"The money was transferred to her account by the virtual complainant and she, as a poor person with lesser abilities, just went ahead and shared some of the monies with her family and an amount was frozen by the FIU when the report was made and the charges were levied against her. The court took into consideration today that the officer who made recommendations, who interviewed her, suggested that the court could apply a suspended sentence which after the court did its deductions, she would have been left with 2 years, but the alternative sentencing guidelines does not address this type of crime. So the court had to forego that suggestion and went ahead with its order for probation."
"She's very fortunate, the court could have opted to sentencing her to prison which, like I said, would have amounted to 2 years thereabout after the court did its deduction."
It is expected that the remaining $20,000 will be unfrozen by the FIU and forwarded to the virtual complainant.
Yesterday, we told you about the smoke between Tony's BBQ and Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing.
The popular BBQ business is being forced to relocate by mid-August to accommodate the reconstruction of the Belcan Bridge.
But Tony's didn't just up and leave that prime spot at the foot of the Belcan Bridge adjoining the Save-U parking lot; they waged a public battle until they got assistance to relocate. And today, they're clearing the air. Courtney Menzies spoke to the co-owner today and has this story.
Tony's BBQ has stood here near Save U's parking lot for over two decades. But come August, they'll be transitioning to a new area across the roundabout. They're being forced to relocate to accommodate a temporary bridge and the construction of the new BelCan Bridge.
But there's been some back and forth. And while it seemed like the owners were planning to fight the relocation, Sarah Beck explained today that all they wanted was clarification since they had gotten conflicting information in a meeting held last week.
Sarah Beck, Co-Owner, Tony's BBQ "In that meeting they told us that the bridge is not even going to be built until next year and that the BelCan Bridge will be broken down after the Christmas holiday."
"In that meeting they said we had until November, but then inside that same meeting they give us a letter to sign and in the letter it said that we had 30 days."
"So I wrote to MIDH for clarity, for clarification of what the process is and what time frame, the time frame, exactly what it is that we are in the way of because we have gotten so many mixed things. We are in the way of pedestrians, when it was kind of weird to me because we've been here in this same position, not in a building but we were in a tent, for over 25 years and no one has ever been obstructed to pass around the tent or under the tent or whatever way they want to use this area, there was never an obstruction."
"I wanted clarity, not because we were not going to move, or we're fighting to not move, I just wanted clarity."
And in MIDH's letter responding to their concerns, Chief Engineer Evondale Moody explained that based on their most recent evaluation, the relocation was necessary because of pedestrian safety and access to the temporary bridge. Moody reminded them that they had never gotten MIDH's authorization to construct a building in that spot.
However, Beck said that this wasn't true, and that when Digi accepted their proposal for a new building, she had sought permission before construction started-and emphasized that they have indeed been paying:
Sarah Beck, Co-Owner, Tony's BBQ "Me and Mr. Tony we took a trip to Lands, we said, 'Okay, well Lands isn't in charge of that, you have to talk to Works,' because at the time it was Works and we went to Works and they said, 'Oh no, you have to deal with that with City Council.'"
"When I got my evaluation, they told us, well the evaluation came and we had a bill of $1,200 so I wrote a letter because I'm a letter queen, I prefer to be professional and write letters to get answers because that's what you do. So I wrote a letter and asked for an evaluation and Mr. Smith came back and said that, 'Well you have to realize you're using this space so you have to pay a rental.' So the rental, they measured the whole space and we had to pay a rental for the year plus we had to pay trade so the total of the bill came up to $1,200 a year."
Now we note that works out to only $100 per month-but despite all that, the proprietors of Belize's most iconic BBQ joint have accepted that they will need to relocate; however, they still have a few concerns. But they have since been reassured by Mayor Bernard Wagner that the Council will provide assistance.
Sarah Beck, Co-Owner, Tony's BBQ "The area does not fit the building and that's one of our issues, it does not fit the building. And also it's next to a hospital, we're grilling, will it be another complaint that we're smoking out the hospital? And then they put us in the path of where the crosswalk comes, the crosswalk ends right there so we're right there and will it be another complaint that, 'Well now you're affecting the pedestrians on that side?'"
"And the next thing is we were told the area is a green area, we have to maintain it as a green area. How can we sell food and people would be trampling on grass, and keeping it a green area is not something practical and those are some of the things, but the Mayor called me and I'm grateful that he did and he's given me his word that we will work together and we will deal with this."
The Mayor has promised to meet with them next week to plan the next steps forward.
The owners say that by the August deadline they will have moved and patrons will be able to find them across from the Atlantic Bank.
In mid-September of last year, the Ministry of Health and Wellness issued a report detailing major concerns regarding water safety at the Kolbe Foundation Central Prison. Inspectors evaluated three distinct water sources on the compound and determined that only the water provided by Belize Water Services is safe for human consumption.
Well water tested at the facility revealed several harmful biological contaminants, including fecal coliform. This water was being used by prisoners for pre-preparation of food, including washing vegetables, meat, and other items. It was also used for bathing. Surely, the thought alone makes anyone cringe.
Principal Health Inspector John Bodden breaks down those findings.
Voice of: John Bodden, Principal Health Inspector, MOHW "Now in that regards we have found that in terms of the biological components that we had some of the water, primarily the well water that was actually tested positive of fecal coliform and so with that we would not recommend that this would be water safe for use, and in terms of the chemicals there were many of them that were altered limits and so we were recommending that the water is not good for consumption which is we were reminded that this water is from the well and this is used for only hygienic purposes which is basically for flushing the toilets, washing and bathing and so. We had not much concerns about the well water initially because it was just for bathing, not withstanding that we still had a bit of caution expressed on the well water because of the high nitrous citrate it creates some level of irritation to the skin. So after that we had made some recommendations for them that there is adherence to the use of the water which we are totally in agreement with the BWS water should be for drinking and that is done for the inmates, staff and hospital and cooking with the exception of when they do the pre wash for vegetables which they use the well water."
When we spoke with the Acting CEO, Francis Woods, he told us that changes were made immediately after the report came out, and BWSL water rations for inmates were increased to 5 gallons of water for drinking, washing clothes, and bathing.
But according to public health, the switch to BWS was not that simple. Bodden says that following the inspection, they urged the facility to expand its reliance on BWS water to safeguard inmate health. However, Ministry officials note that prison management expressed reservations, citing significant cost constraints associated with making the complete switch. Principal Health Inspector John Bodden outlines that recommendation and the financial hurdles raised by the administration.
Voice of: John Bodden, Principal Health Inspector, MOHW "We have, the then CEO of the foundation had written to us and said the cost is quite prohibitive for them to actually just use BWS water. Of course that is out of the purview of what we do not control the operations at the facility but this is something that the administration definitely needs to look into in terms of ensuring that more of the water that is from the BWS system reaches the inmates because they are under a certain ration for water and so we would definitely would want to see that they use more BWS water which is proven to be sanitary and safe."
Turning now to political news, the field of candidates vying for the PUP Corozal Town Council endorsement has narrowed.
Councillor aspirant Tommy Zetina has formally withdrawn his bid following his arrest over the weekend. The arrest stems from an incident at the Belize-Mexico border on Sunday night, involving allegations of domestic abuse while intoxicated.
In a statement released this morning, Zetina wrote, "After careful consideration and reflection, I have formally withdrawn my application as an aspiring councillor candidate. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or damage that my situation may have caused to the Party and my colleagues. At this time, I am dealing with legal matters before the court and need the time and space to focus on resolving these issues."
Despite his exit from the race, Zetina maintains his innocence, claiming that the statements made against him-including reports filed by his common-law wife, quote, "do not reflect the truth."
For weeks, 7News has been systematically unpacking a mountain of leaked screenshots and a master tender document from the Ministry of Defence.
We have established that between 2021 and 2026, 1,950 sub-ten-thousand-dollar payouts were channeled to politically connected BDF ration suppliers. That's 96% of all payments made to those companies. The threshold-hugging payouts were structured specifically to avoid Treasury oversight-money laundering experts call it "invoice splitting."
But while these vendors were cashing in, were taxpayers getting actual value for their money?
Tonight, Jules Vasquez takes his most searching look yet at the BDF tender document to assess its value. Here is what he found:
Baby back ribs, for those who can afford it grilled like this, it's a Belizean favourite.
And just so for soldiers-but do they get to eat it?
This leaked tender document shows us that in 2023/2024, the BDF bought 1,320 pounds of it. For roughly one thousand soldiers that works out to just over a pound per year-that's about half a rack of ribs that each soldier could have gotten.
But the commander says that in his 32 years, he's never tasted this famous BDF Baby Back:
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "I said I've never eaten baby back ribs, which is true. I've never had, but that doesn't mean that it's not purchased, right?"
In 2023/2024, it sure was purchased-plentifully! And the preferred supplier was the politically favoured Kukulcan Company Limited.
In that fiscal year, Kukulcan sold baby back ribs to the BDF for $15 per pound.
Fast-forward three years-years of heavy global inflation-and you can still walk into a store today and buy them for less at retail. Carnivore sells them for $14.85 per pound, and Running W Meats in Cayo charges just $14.07 per pound wholesale.
So why was the Ministry of Defence paying inflated, above-market prices for bulk orders back in 2023/2024? Simple: Kukulcan isn't just any vendor. It's a politically connected firm co-owned by former Defence Minister Marin's secretary, Susan Daniels, and other Corozal Southeast political insiders who are the registered owners. So, while taxpayers footed the bill, Kukulcan was making a killing. We note that all top three suppliers of luxury meats were politically connected-one of them co-owned by the Prime Minister's brother.
It was so egregious that when the current CEO arrived in March 2025, he said he stopped it:
Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of Defence and Border Security "When I became CEO last year that these were things that were on the delivery schedule, which I immediately stopped. And you can, you can ask the BDF when I went there and I said, 'No, no, no,' I was like, 'Look, I disagree that these should be things that are regularly bought.' Because even if they're only used every few months, why would we buy, for example, baby back ribs and allow it to catch freezer burn before we use it? It doesn't make sense. We're not going to buy it every month, so we immediately stopped buying baby back ribs, the shrimp, the conch, the lobster-all of that we stopped buying when I became CEO."
And, he won't say it, but that decision alone suggests there was something egregious with this-buying surplus, luxury meats at inflated prices.
And there are so many more in that one fiscal year we have the tender for:
Paradise Shrimp, Regular Shrimp at an incredible $39 per pound-which is more than the current price of lobster, conch at $23 per pound-all purchased monthly and all from politically favoured suppliers.
Our BDF whistleblower who was formerly in charge of processing supplies for the BDF says he knows the pattern well:
Voice of BDF Whistleblower, Former Commanding Officer, Services and Support Battalion "And as far as I'm concerned, pork chops is pork chops. But you would find out that you would might get pork chops from supplier A for $5 and then supplier B for $6 and supply or C for $10, and you're getting the same pork chops. Why is that so? I can't tell you. As far as I'm concerned, when we want a certain quantity of the item, it reduces it when the price have to be ranging in that manner. And then not only that to as well, you find out that you cannot spend the amount of money that you actually have, because in some cases, most of the, product, as in the pork chops would have been gotten from the guy who is selling it for $9 rather than the one who is selling it for $5."
"And why do you think that is?"
"That is, you and I know this, because someone is getting their kickbacks and, they want their portion of that money that is going to that supplier, there."
"From my observation, rarely you will find that, you will get the best item for the best price. In most cases, what suits the individual who is pilfering is what they would go with."
But, does it continue? CEO Usher has so far refused to share the current tender documents to show what a related company like Meat Masters is providing-we know that on their site we see a buffet of luxury meats-but because he won't or can't share the tender documents for this year, we can't say exactly what they were being paid for in these 54 disbursements between April and May of this year.
So while we don't have the current tender documents yet, we know that many millions more are being spent on food for the BDF. But is that value getting to the soldiers in the field, or are political operators just continuing to cream off the top?
Yesterday, the General told us that while they're not running a 5-star restaurant, the food has gotten better:
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "In looking at the budget, we also see that the spending on food for the BDF has increased sharply since 2020. Going from $4.1 million to $5.9 million to $5.4 million, then jumping to $10.6 million in 2023, $13.3 million in 2024, and $15 million in 2025. And so that's almost three times the increase we've seen in six years. But yet, we still see the soldier eating food like rice, beans, and sausage. Is there any disconnect there?"
"Not necessarily. The world has changed a lot since 2020. Some people tend to forget we had a huge pandemic that caused a lot of inflation, prices rising, etc. So our budget has been adjusted to reflect inflation, increasing costs, everywhere worldwide. I'm sure we can look back and remember, 'Hey, remember we used to pay X amount of dollars for the same item that now costs maybe about $5 more.' So that has been considered when the budget has been increased. In terms of the quality of the food and everything, we are actively working to better the quality of the food that we feed our soldiers. It's a work in progress, and it's happening slowly, and it's very challenging to do that. I mean, we have to feed thousands of soldiers every day. And some items we might not be able to afford. Others we need to get rid of because of the health concerns that they may cause. But it's not an easy thing to do. It takes time, and it takes a lot of trial and error to change the diet and the nutrition that the soldiers get. In Belize, our culture is rice and beans, flour tortilla, fried jack, all of that. So we have to kind of include it, but then we have to consider the health considerations as well. So it's challenging."
Jaleeza Roberts: "Do you feel as if over the 6 years the food has improved based on what you've seen?"
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "It has improved. It has improved. We're not at a five-star restaurant, but it has improved. I can testify to that. It's not the best yet, but it's certainly better than five, six years ago."
And as you heard from the CEO in the Ministry of Defence a few weeks ago, there's a plan being endorsed at the very top which would revolutionize how Ministry of Defence money is spent and how meals are prepared for soldiers. Velasquez explained:
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "The new contracted mess or the new contractors will never be able to charge the soldiers more than say $5 for a meal. And that's very, very economical. You can never go out there in the civilian world and get a meal for $5. So that will put the power of purchasing into the hands of the soldiers. So they can choose what they want. They can either buy the subsidized meal here, bring their own meal or buy from anywhere else outside that they wish. So they will have that power. So, like I mentioned before, the power was taken from the BDF and sent to the ministry. And then another possibility is now to empower the soldiers more to choose what they want to buy."
Jaleeza Roberts: "And was that proposal given to you all by the ministry?"
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "Yes, the proposal was given to us."
In other BDF news that has nothing to do with tendering, rations, or food, last week we introduced you to Dee-Ancor Reyes, the BDF's first female force sergeant major. According to the Brigadier General, they've been focusing on including and elevating women within the ranks. Here's what he told us yesterday.
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "When I first joined the force, there were a few women here. And I have seen that we have done a lot to change culture of keeping women out basically back then or undermining the roles of women in the military. Today we have very educated, very intelligent women with us. We have doctors. We have several doctors who are women and we have the force medical officer who's a woman. We have other highly educated and very intelligent women who are officers as well."
Jaleeza Roberts: "Last week we saw the promotion of Dee-Ancor Reyes. Can you speak about what that means for women in the military?"
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "It means a lot because this is the first female who has been appointed as force sergeant major. And the force sergeant major is the top non-commissioned officer in the Belize Defense Force. And that person is responsible for advising the commander on the welfare and morale of the soldiers. So she's the link between the soldiers and the commander. And she advises the commander about best practices for the soldiers. She has broken big barriers and big ceilings. Since the inception of the Belize Defense Force, it has always been a male-dominated appointment. And she is eminently qualified to be the force sergeant major. She didn't get it because she's a female and we needed a female to put there to look good. She's eminently qualified. She's done her rounds. She's well-educated. So far, she's doing a great job. Even before she became the force sergeant major, she was working hand-in-hand with the former sergeant major and making things happen."
And as he presided over his first passing out of a recruit intake, Velasquez says he hopes they can benefit from more educational opportunities offered to them in military service. He explained:
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF "First of all, I would love for them to continue their education. We have better avenues for soldiers to continue their education. In fact, we have new policies where soldiers have to be educated in order for them to reach a certain rank, right? So they'll have to complete the infantry portion of their requirement, but they'll also have to be educated in order for them to reach the higher ranks."
"We're taking high school students, primary school students, and high school students, right? And if you come in as a high school student, you have an advantage because after a couple of years in the field, meaning you go to bush, you can actually become a specialist or what we call like clerks or signalers or even medics, right? And you can do that as your primary role. Those with Standard Six, they come in and they become infanteers along with the high schoolers, but they need to further their education and their avenues. They have avenues where they can further their education online to become, to finish high school. So when they have that qualification, then they can become specialists as well. Eventually when they become sergeants and staff sergeants, they will need to have associate's degrees. And eventually when they become a warrant officer, they'll need to have a bachelor's."
And finally tonight, Belize's most celebrated international musical ambassadors, the Garifuna Collective, have hit the road for a 14-day European mini-tour to mark their 20th anniversary.
The band departed yesterday for a series of performances across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany.
The milestone tour coincides with another historic achievement: the group has become the first Belizean band to grace the cover of a major international music publication, appearing on the July edition of Songlines Magazine. The issue features an exclusive interview along with a newly released single included with the magazine.
Representing Belize on this European leg are musicians Desiree Diego, Kenrick Lewis, Mohobub Flores, Al Ovando, Denmark Flores, Emilio Thomas, Sam Harris, and Austin Aranda.
The Garifuna Collective is scheduled to return home on August 4th, when they will hold a formal press conference to share updates from the road.
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It all started with a heartbreaking video on Facebook showing a dog being physically abused in Cotton Tree Village. But tonight, we are happy to report a happy ending: the dog, formerly known as 'Big Boy,' has found a safe and loving home in the Cayo District. Jomarie Lanza met with the family who rescued him and spent some time with 'Buddy' in his new environment. Here is that story.
"Honestly, I couldn't sleep. Just every time I would wake up throughout the night, the first thing I would think about is where he was at, how he was feeling, the fear. And I just could not get it out of my mind. With the amount of dogs we have, I didn't think we could do another rescue, but at this point I was like, it doesn't matter what inconvenience it might be at the time or what routine we would have to change at home, I cannot, not help. So I didn't even tell my husband. I just was like, I will get him out of that situation, so next morning when he woke up, I explained to him and told him, 'Hey, by the way, we are going be fostering.'"
Imagine nearly $50,000 suddenly appearing in your bank account, spending a large chunk of it, and then finding out it was never yours. That is the reality 34-year-old Kamera Belisle faced, and today she was sentenced for it in the High Court.
"The money was transferred to her account by the virtual complainant and she, as a poor person with lesser abilities, just went ahead and shared some of the monies with her family and an amount was frozen by the FIU when the report was made and the charges were levied against her. The court took into consideration today that the officer who made recommendations, who interviewed her, suggested that the court could apply a suspended sentence which after the court did its deductions, she would have been left with 2 years, but the alternative sentencing guidelines does not address this type of crime. So the court had to forego that suggestion and went ahead with its order for probation."
Yesterday, we told you about the smoke between Tony's BBQ and Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing.
"In that meeting they told us that the bridge is not even going to be built until next year and that the BelCan Bridge will be broken down after the Christmas holiday."
Voice of: John Bodden, Principal Health Inspector, MOHW
Turning now to political news, the field of candidates vying for the PUP Corozal Town Council endorsement has narrowed.
For weeks, 7News has been systematically unpacking a mountain of leaked screenshots and a master tender document from the Ministry of Defence.
"I said I've never eaten baby back ribs, which is true. I've never had, but that doesn't mean that it's not purchased, right?"
Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of Defence and Border Security
Voice of BDF Whistleblower, Former Commanding Officer, Services and Support Battalion