By: Omar Silva I Editor/Publisher

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Thursday 4th December 2025

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE BELIZE — EDITORIAL

All cartel-related allegations referenced in this editorial originate from reporting by Noticias de Impacto del Sur de Quintana Roo, a Mexican investigative outlet. NP Belize is not asserting these claims as fact, but analyzing their public significance, the responses of Belizean officials, and the implications for national governance.

I. A Border on Fire — and a Government in Denial

Across the Río Hondo, Mexican media continues to publish explosive claims about organized criminal penetration into the Corozal Free Zone. This week, Noticias de Impacto del Sur de Quintana Roo released its most serious publication yet, naming:

• Edgar Calderón Ruiz (“El Papi”)
• Valerio Bustillos (“Monkey”)
• Caborca Cartel operatives
• Belizean Free Zone Administrator Nery Ramírez
• Former Minister José Abelardo Mai
• Minister Thea García-Ramírez

Again — NP Belize makes no factual determination. We are reporting and analyzing what the Mexican press has placed in the public domain.

But what cannot be denied is this:

The Briceño Administration is behaving exactly like a government under pressure — pressure it refuses to acknowledge.

II. The Heart of the Allegations — As Reported by Noticias de Impacto

The Mexican outlet alleges a coordinated structure in which:

1. “El Papi” (Edgar Calderón Ruiz)

is presented as the central figure linking cartel operations to Belizean contacts inside the Free Zone.

2. Nery Ramírez

is accused — again by Noticias de Impacto, not NP Belize — of:

• granting access to Caborca operatives,
• shifting security patrols at night,
• and facilitating the movement of illicit merchandise.

3. José Abelardo Mai

is described by the outlet as having fled Belize after allegations surfaced, allegedly under the cover of a medical excuse, which the outlet claims has “no record.”

4. A scheme of donations and political laundering

is alleged, involving funds passing through intermediaries to avoid detection, and reportedly routed through the spouse of the Free Zone administrator, a sitting Belizean minister.

5. WhatsApp screenshots

exist, according to the outlet, and will be handed to Belizean authorities.

6. A continued nightly flow of illicit goods across the Río Hondo

enabled by alleged complicity on both sides of the border.

Again — these are claims published by the Mexican press, not by NP Belize.

III. Belize’s Security Services: Now Targets?

Previous Mexican reports also stated that:

the Caborca Cartel allegedly threatened Belize’s elite unit “Los Dragones,” vowing retaliation for a bust on Belizean soil.

This raises the stakes beyond politics and corruption — into national security and the lives of Belizean officers.

IV. Meanwhile, in Belmopan — A Bad Back?

At the center of this storm sits one man:

Prime Minister John Briceño.

And his explanation for Mai’s sudden “leave of absence”?

A horse accident from last year.

A bad back.

A surgery that cannot wait.

Belizeans are not fools.

The timing speaks louder than the excuse:

• Mai was stripped of Free Zone oversight in the Cabinet shuffle.
• Three days later, Briceño met with the U.S. Embassy.
• Days after that, Mai resigned — or “took leave,” depending on who you ask.
• Now Mexican media claims he fled to Guatemala.

A Prime Minister attempting to reposition the truth does more damage to his reputation than the scandal itself.

V. The Free Zone: A Structure Built for Abuse

Even without Mexican allegations, the Free Zone has long been:

• a haven for cigarette smuggling,
• a bypass for customs controls,
• an unregulated cash economy,
• a political piggy bank,
• a magnet for shadow networks.

But if even 10% of what Mexican media is reporting is accurate, then:

Belize’s northern frontier is compromised far beyond what the public has been told.

VI. The Attempted Hit on Nittin Buxani — A Warning Shot?

Another fact — not an allegation:

A businessman linked by family ties to the Prime Minister was shot eleven times on November 5th.

And suddenly:

• The PM’s security detail expanded,
• Cabinet reshuffled twice,
• Ministers refused portfolios,
• Senior officials resigned quietly,
• And the Free Zone narrative exploded.

There are patterns here that no government explanation can erase.

VII. What NP Belize Concludes — Safely, Legally, and Clearly

We are not asserting:

• That the allegations are proven,
• That the named individuals are guilty,
• That the Mexican press has provided final evidence.

But we are asserting this:

1. The allegations are too serious to ignore.

2. The Prime Minister’s explanations insult the intelligence of Belizeans.

3. Cross-border criminal influence is real and longstanding.

4. The Free Zone is a national vulnerability — by design.

5. The government’s silence and contradictions worsen the crisis.

6. Belizeans deserve transparency, not bedtime stories.

VIII. The Question Belmopan Must Answer

At this point, with the U.S. State Department listing Belize as a major cocaine-transit country every year, with repeated narco-plane incidents, with Free Zone irregularities spanning administrations:

Can Belize still pretend this is normal governance?

Because the Mexican press isn’t pretending.

The United States isn’t pretending.

And the Belizean people shouldn’t be forced to pretend either.

IX. The Final Word

Whether the allegations prove true or not, the pattern of weak oversight, political denial, and shadow operations has been exposed.

Belizeans are right to demand:

• transparency,
• accountability,
• criminal investigations,
• public disclosure of Free Zone revenue and security structures,
• and full cooperation with both Mexican and U.S. agencies.

And Belmopan must decide:

Will it confront the crisis — or continue insulting the nation with stories about a bad back?