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In a statement, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the vessel entered Cuban territorial waters and was about one nautical mile off Cayo Falcones when it was stopped on Wednesday. Authorities allege the group aboard the Florida-registered boat opened fire first, sparking a gun battle in which a Cuban officer was wounded.

Cuban officials claim the 10 people on board were Cuban nationals residing in the United States and were planning “an infiltration with terrorist aims.” Weapons recovered from the boat allegedly included handguns, assault rifles, improvised explosive devices and other tactical gear.

An additional suspect has reportedly been detained and confessed, according to Cuban authorities.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Cuba would defend itself “with determination and firmness against any terrorist and mercenary aggression against its sovereignty and national stability.”

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From St. Kitts and Nevis, where he was attending meetings with Caribbean leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the incident as “highly unusual” and said Washington would independently verify the facts rather than rely solely on Cuban government accounts.

Rubio noted that the vessel was not carrying U.S. government personnel. He added that the United States would investigate what those aboard were doing in Cuban waters.

Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba, has been a vocal critic of Havana’s Communist government. On Wednesday, he reiterated that “Cuba’s status quo is unacceptable” and called for “dramatic reforms” that would open space for economic and political freedoms.

The shooting comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana. Just weeks ago, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, a key ally of Cuba, and blocked oil shipments from Venezuela to the island, worsening Cuba’s already severe fuel shortages.

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Cuba to “make a deal” or face consequences, while tightening pressure on the island’s leadership. However, on Wednesday the U.S. Treasury Department said it would ease certain small private-sector transactions, including some oil sales, aimed at supporting the Cuban people for commercial and humanitarian purposes.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry framed the incident within this broader context, stating that “in the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters” and defend its sovereignty.

The post Cuba Says Armed Group on U.S.-Registered Speedboat Planned ‘Terrorist Infiltration’ first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Rubio made the remarks during a closed-door session with leaders of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM), who are meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis for their annual summit.

“Irrespective of how some of you may have individually felt about our operations and our policy toward Venezuela,” Rubio said, according to a transcript released by the U.S. State Department, “Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago.”

Several Caribbean governments had raised concerns about the legality of Maduro’s capture last month and the broader implications for regional sovereignty. Rubio dismissed those concerns, arguing that since Maduro’s removal, and the effective U.S. takeover of Venezuela’s oil sector, interim authorities have made “substantial” progress.

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He claimed developments in the past two months included steps that “eight or nine weeks ago would have been unimaginable.”

The operation was praised a day earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address, calling it “an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States.”

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar publicly supported U.S. military operations in the southern Caribbean Sea and confirmed her talks with Rubio covered Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela.

When asked whether recent U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats constituted extrajudicial killings, she said her government’s legal advice indicated they were not.

Meanwhile, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, who chairs CARICOM, warned that the region stands at a “decisive hour” as the global order shifts.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness highlighted concerns about Cuba’s worsening humanitarian crisis, cautioning that prolonged instability there could impact migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean.

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                  Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Former Commissioner of Police

“I don’t want to comment much about it at this time, but certainly, yes, he was on our radar and we have indeed gathered information that he was connected to one of the cartel groups in Mexico. And so when I saw the news that he was captured, it was no surprise to me. He flee, believes for whatever reason and he went to the USA, I believe he was seeking asylum. I am not sure if how far he got with that. But like you write the reported, he’s now in the custody state of the US authorities, and it’s a matter for them to deal with now.”

Williams says Loria’s capture comes as no surprise to law enforcement here, given that Belizean authorities had already linked him to a Mexican cartel long before U.S. agents took him into custody.

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Steven Duncan

Steven Duncan, Managing Director, Heritage Bank

“The global sort of check on how you are doing, whether you should be part of the system or not, they test using AML/CFT capabilities and how you measure up in those areas. How you measure up in those areas is important to us as a country beyond just a bank. In fact, the bank is specifically important because a bank could bring down a country. So you want to make sure that not just the country as a whole, but that the subparts, the individual components of the country, also measure up. That is why it is very important.”

Paul Lopez

“Some criticisms may be that the protocols to adhere to these regulations that they come about as bureaucratic red tapes that frustrate the process customers have to go through.”

Steven Duncan

“I feel that way too and I will not disagree with such a position. What I will ask is that the general public be patient and understanding because these things we are doing are bigger than just the country. And while we may not like everything about it, they are frustrating and add to the bureaucracy, the truth is, if we want to play in the global environment we have to do them.”

Duncan says that while the rules can feel frustrating, Belize has little choice, staying compliant is the only way to keep the country fully connected to the global banking system.

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The post Belize Faces Pressure to Keep Banks Compliant first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

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The post Holness Reminds Region CARICOM Isn’t a Political Union first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Persad-Bissessar reaffirmed Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to CARICOM but made clear that national security would take priority over regional consensus.

“Going forward, we will work with CARICOM… but we cannot bind ourselves to the same political ideologies and security policies of the entire CARICOM,” she said.

She criticized what she described as CARICOM’s silence when Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana faced threats from Venezuela, and revisited a 2022 incident involving the removal of a Trinidadian citizen from another CARICOM state. She said she has yet to receive a response from the CARICOM Secretariat regarding the matter.

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Security cooperation with the United States featured prominently in her remarks. Persad-Bissessar thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for military cooperation aimed at combating narcotics and arms trafficking from Venezuela. She credited that partnership with a 42 percent reduction in murders in Trinidad and Tobago in 2025.

“Some of us, the crime is so bad, I cannot depend on just my military,” she said, defending closer U.S. collaboration despite divisions within CARICOM over the presence of foreign forces in the region.

On free movement within CARICOM, she said Trinidad and Tobago remains committed “in principle” but cannot fully implement it at this time due to the strain caused by undocumented migration.

Turning to Cuba, Persad-Bissessar questioned what she called contradictions in regional support for democracy, stating that Trinidad and Tobago would not support “a dictatorship in Cuba or anywhere else.”

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                       Oscar Arnold

Oscar Arnold, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico

“We would advise any car dealers if you are at the border to wait a few days, stay there a few days longer. I know it will cost them a little bit more with hotel and food, but it would be easier to do so. This morning on the press conference that President Sheinbaum did they said that they have looked at all the areas, addressed all the blockages and regained control of those areas where there were blockages or where there were major or significant blockage yesterday. But my advice would be, any car dealer that is coming down to wait a few more days to ensure that things are even more calm and then to make your journey to try to get home.”

Belizean Car Dealers Pause Amid Mexico’s Chaos

Belizean car dealers are also keeping a close eye on the unrest unfolding in Mexico, as cartel‑related violence continues to ripple through key travel routes. Many dealers who source vehicles from the United States are now in a holding pattern, waiting for the all‑clear that Ambassador Oscar Arnold says could still be days away. Among them is Tevonne Phillips, owner of Accelerate Belize, who knows the long road home better than most. He told News Five that several of his colleagues are still parked in place, literally, because safety has always been the biggest concern when crossing Mexico. For now, they’re watching, waiting, and hoping conditions stabilize before they get back on the road.

                Tevonne Phillips

Tevonne Phillips, Owner, Accelerate Belize

“My personal last trip was in December. I did two trips in December. That was a high pace month for me. I have one of my transporters who went up in January for two vehicles for me, Jose. I don’t have any trip currently planned, but from the feedback we are getting, right now, Maria the broker that I use she was not letting anybody cross up until maybe Tuesday. But that is not a definite that you are going to cross Tuesday. You have to monitor the situation in Mexico and see what will be the outcome. And then she will decide. At the end of the day, Maria is one of those brokers who have you back in any situation. Her first thing is always safety for us Belizeans especially because she has a good relationship with us. So, her thing is always safety, safety, safety. If she does not feel safer and her correspondence is not giving her the tombs up to move any operation then she halts until an all clear. Mexico dah Mexico, any number could play in Mexico. For me I understand how this thing works. These guys do what they need to do to survive. Our job is to follow the rules, regulations and simply abide by whatever structure they have in place. There are instances you get robbed. There are instances somebody come brush you a little five hundred peso, a thousand pesos. But from my experience, I have never gotten one of those violent experience where an M-16 is in your face. They stop you on the road but we understand that at the end of the day deh bally want deh piece and you trod on. If you try fight that you are creating an uproar that is not necessary. So, that is my experience, other guys can tell you different.”

In short, if you’re planning that road trip back to Belize with vehicles, the safest move right now is to wait it out.

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The post Ambassador Arnold Urges Car Dealers: Delay Mexico Drive first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

                       Carla Barnett

Dr. Carla Barnett, Secretary General, CARICOM

“We gather again in this beautiful twin-island nation for the fiftieth regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. St. Kitts & Nevis hosted two major CARICOM meetings last year when foreign ministers met in May for the twentieth regular meeting of the Councils of Foreign and Community Relations and the nineteenth Caribbean Week of Agriculture which was held in October. Now, as then, the smallest sovereign state among us is punching above its weight and no effort has been spared to ensure excellent arrangements for our meeting. On behalf of the community, I thank our hosts and the Honorable Dr. Terrence Drew, Prime Minister, and the people of St. Kitts & Nevis for their gracious hospitality to our delegations. Since assuming the chairmanship of CARICOM on January first, this year, Prime Minister Drew has set the tone for a very active and productive tenure. His chairmanship started with emergency meetings of the community on the very first weekend of the year and his in-person visits with other heads of government in the region has clearly indicated his capacity for action and desire for unity and results. Chair, I am confident that under your guidance and with the support of your colleague heads of government, the secretariat and our regional institutions, the interests of our region will see accelerated advancement under your leadership. I was especially pleased to be welcomed with such clarity and passion… two examples of the excellent cadre of young people who serve our region as youth ambassadors. I look forward to seeing even more of our young people’s creative talent as the evening progresses.”

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                  Yahima Martinez Millán

Yahima Martinez Millán, Cuban Ambassador to Belize

“As the world is seeing, Cuba is facing right a very complex period caused by the intensification of the US blockade. However, the country is not paralyzed. We are implementing some measures in order to guarantee the continuity of the country and to maintain the basic services to our population. Also, during all this measures we are trying to protect the most vulnerable people in the country and also we are distributing our resources with a principle of equity. Cuba’s response remains the same during more than sixty years. Our response is independence, dignity and sovereignty. Washinton’s increase measures are an attempt to economy suffocation. Our response and our work is to denounce these unjust measures in all the international forum and all the public space and scenarios that we have the opportunity. Also Cuba does not negotiate under pressure and threats. The world knows that. Our diplomacy is one of peace and also cooperation. That is the way that we work.”

Hipolito Novelo

“We hear from Cuba that the fuel shortages, the blackouts have affected hospital and public services in the country. What is the government doing to stabilize that.”

Yahima Martinez Millán

“That is true. We are being affected by the service but it is important to clarify that despite fuel limitation the Cuban priority is to maintain the service of health, and education and other important services. And energy saving protocol has been adopted in order to guarantee that this basic and important service could be maintain.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Some external observance characterize the current situation as political fragile Cuba. We spoke to Assad Shoman who has live in Cuba for many years. He is a former foreign minister for Belize. He is saying that if the US government succeeds, Cubans will die. Is that your assessment on this situation.”

Yahima Martinez Millán

“There is an international opinion that Cuba will collapse. There is no reason to think that. We are facing a very complex economic moment caused by the measures and the blockade from the US against Cuba and there is no fragility and there is no political reasons in that. So we are facing an external threat so it is not caused by internal causes.”

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