We have had to address a security issue (hackers) with the site. This post has been re-created and it’s early comments posted as plain text.
I have three freinds in prison here in Belize at the moment. In the word’s imagination, prison is a place with beds, showers and food. You may imagine it to be clean. You may imagine that blankets and possibly pillows are provided. You may imagine that there are toilets.
I spent 7 hours in a Belize cell after the April GSU raid on my property, and I can assure that your imaginings are far from the truth.
There are no beds. I slept on a concrete floor. There are no showers (Hattieville is an exception). Food consists of two sandwiches per day – two dry slices of bread and one thin slice of rancid cheese per sandwich. There are no toilets – a plastic milk carton cut in half is used instead. There are no blankets, no pillows, no cooling fans. Nothing is ever cleaned. Clothes are not issued. Drinking water is from the tap, and the water processing facilities in Belize are non-existent. Cells are crowded to the point that not everyone can lie down to sleep at the same time. The stench is indescribable. People die in these cells at an alarming rate – from being beaten to death by fellow inmates, to death from starvation and disease.
These are the conditions under which my freinds are being held. They are being held on trumped up charges only because they are my friends.
You may be tired of me asking you this, but please email
[email protected]
and
demand the release of my freinds.
What are the charges? The four legally licensed firearms on my property were not kept in the correct rooms of my property. Under the draconian laws of Belize, any law can be stretched to nab anyone for anything. This is not a joke or an exageration. Three of the guns were identical, single shot shotguns. Only the serial numbers can distinguish them. The wrong serial numbers were in the wrong rooms.
Why do I have guns? If you have read the two Anthony Rhaburn transcripts and the post “The Letter” you might see that even a rational pacifist might keep guns. I may be paranoid, that’s not for me to judge, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not after me.
Something I did learn in jail:
When I was processed into the jail, my belt, among other items was taken. I had not realized before how difficult it is to keep your pants up without a belt. I noticed many fellow inmates walking around with one hand holding up their pants, and the other doing whatever hands normally do. A fellow cellmate, who had been in prison 27 times, took out an old plastic shopping bag from his pocket, rolled it into a thin, short rope-like thing, looped it through two of my belt loops, cinched it and tied it. Voila – my left hand was freed and my pants stayed up. Even in jail there is much one can learn.
P.S. There have been some comments pointing to my mispellings,bad grammar, etc. as being an indicator of my unhinged state. I am 67. I left in a hurry and do not have my glasses (When I am near my property I am unable to enter the front buildings of my property, which is where my own room is.). I have no spell checker on this tiny device which is not a computer. I am on the run and sleep less than three hours per night. I have no money and, some days, no food. I would beg that my detractors cut me a tiny bit of slack.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Three of my friends are still being held in prison on trumped up charges. They are:
Eddie Ancona
Cassian Chavarria
William Mulligan
They were charged and have been imprisoned because three legally licensed firearms were found in the incorrect rooms on my property (stretching the law to the extreme). I would ask you to please email the following and demand their release:
70 responses to “Prison Conditions”
Gee Whiz, Wow, Issues much?
Email sent!
Good luck on your adventure!
Your stories & style are great & I’ll remain a follower. Damn that dog killer. It was the dogs that shot him & deservingly so.
It’s 2:41 p.m……Saturday afternoon………..at home watching “Locked up Abroad” on the History Channel and reading your blog JDM……………cool way to spend my afternoon in this corrupt jewel. I hope you don’t have to give your story to a History Channel producer from the Hattieville Prison in Belize.
FYI:…BTL is my internet provider and I cannot connect to your blog directly…I think its blocked for their users. Of course you know the GOB owns BTL now..so that’s my reason for thinking they have blocked your site from their customers….But am a smart lady………found another way to still read your interesting blog!!!…………will be spending the weekend with you here on the blog. Stay safe!!
Thanks for the mini-bio update. For the many, many people who will be unfamiliar with the name, Aryeh Goretsky was once Dr McAfee’s employee @ McAfee Associates. He has spent a lifetime researching and combating viruses and other I.T. security vunerabilities. He currently has great success as a researcher at ESET (NOD32) and is respected the world over for his contributions to the industry.
Of course, whether or not it is actually Aryeh Goretsky posting these messages is subject to debate. As far as I know, there has been no comments on his own blog or Twitter feed regarding anything interesting.
Regards
Eugene
Hey John! I live in South-Africa and your stories remind me so much of this country. Some years ago they locked me up for 21 days then released me and dropped all charges. Prison cells are overcrowded- usually about 3 guys per bed- so most sleep on the infested floors. Medical doctors are non-existent for treatment unless you are rich enough to pay to visit an outside doctor- go all shackled-up of course. Raping, robbing and assaulting you is the standard initiation into jail; if you’re lucky only robbing and assaulting you. My lawyer advised me to ‘stare down” the gang leader who gives the commands, which I did and thank God it worked. Bribery is what makes every machine working- both in prison and in society here.
I’ve been to Belize and love the country. I’ve been thinking on moving there myself. After my arrest I started studying Law and I’m now actually considering coming to practice in Belize- but I have to do another 6 months “bridging course” in Jamaica- which I don;t really feel like, so I’ll see.
All the best and stay safe!
I would be interested in seeing John’s reply to this..
Go John Go! You are my hero. I have always felt the injustice, but now through you I can actuallly see it. Please be careful.
Jeez the cricket has been a cracker hasn’t it!?
Under siege, not understand siege. Sorry! A few typos.
That is your choice. I spent many years in Jamaica & the common denominator always boils down to one thing, drugs. When Jamaica became a thoroughfare for cocaine from Colombia to the Bahamas & on to the U.S., the same thing happened there, back in the mid-eighties. Guns which were strictly forbidden, started appearing in the hands of all the gangsters. Murder & violence increased, as well as corruption. Same old story. It ruined that beautiful island & it will never be the same. Before that, cocaine was nonexistent, now it’s everywhere. I could get into why drugs should be legalized, but I can only imagine how crazy that would make you.
Perhaps you did not read my post very carefully. It was the largest case of police corruption in the history of New Orleans. They were caught when the F.B. I. set up a sting & they accepted $100,000 to protect warehouses full of cocaine. One of them ordered the execution of a woman who filed a complaint for brutality. 49 officers were involved. Get it?? It happened in L. A. (during the 1980’s,gangs, constant shootings), New York City, remember Serpico? It’s happening right now in countries all over the world, Russian gangs, Ukraine, everywhere. My point is that drugs & the incredible profits made from them, which allow for countries like Colombia to almost become a narco state, with hundreds of kidnappings & assassinations, including the president, presidential candidates, the judges, & their wives & children, senators. This is because of drugs. And since Central America & Mexico have now become “the drug corridor”, all of these countries are now in the grips of the violence & terror that goes with them.
Most people just see the effect & blame it on the various governments, which certainly play their part, but you can’t overlook the cause, which always leads back to drugs. The cartels are governments unto themselves & look what one man, along with his cartel, did to Colombia. Pablo Escabar held that country hostage for over almost 20 years & was a mass murderer & the people of Medellin worshipped. And Lederer, the Cali cartel, & they just got 3 members of another one, but more will take their place. Look at the cartels of Mexico, the Sinaloa & the Zetas. And it goes on throughout Europe, even in Africa. They are powerful & ruthless & deadly. And Belize has also fallen victim,but just like in Colombia, it takes years to fight it & Central America is their new playground. The people are afraid not to do as they say & I would be too.
At least the GSU was formed to try to combat it. The entire police force & all of the government officials cannot be rotten. Only the people who live there can make their voices heard & elect strong leaders, as Colombia did before them. I don’t know the solution, but the cartels are alive & well in the U.S. & Mexico is completely understand siege. Corruption keeps the money scarce for training officers, education is badly needed at all levels, a police academy, but Belize is not a wealthy country. Go ahead, scare the tourists away. Makes no difference to me.
Here is a repost of a previous story I posted and was lost.
Chattanooga Businesswoman Detained In Belize After Wreck
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Suzan Benzle Boutz
The son of Chattanooga businesswoman Suzan Benzle Boutz said she is being detained in the Central American country of Belize after a traffic accident that he says was not her fault.
Elliott Benzle of Hilliard, Ohio, said, “My family is extremely concerned about her welfare and safety.”
Ms. Boutz, 60, is a master artist of jewelry making, textile design, and the ceramic arts.
She was involved in a traffic accident on Dec. 20 and has been detained ever since.
Her son said, “Witnesses to the accident have had their lives threatened. At this point it appears that no one in the Belizean government can be trusted and our U.S. Embassy is ineffective. Without some outside pressure we feel that we are at the mercy of a corrupt government.”
He said his mother was on a family vacation in Belize traveling back from a day trip to visit a Mayan ruin site in western Belize with him and his girlfriend.
The son said, “She stopped at an intersection to yield to oncoming traffic before making a left hand turn and was struck by a motorcycle that crashed into the front of her rental car. His head hit the windshield of her rental car. The motorcycle driver was transported by locals to a local emergency facility.
“Several witnesses stepped up to tell her not to worry, that she was clearly stopped and that the motorcycle driver swerved across the center line and hit her car. Two hours later, a police officer arrived on the scene. At approximately 11 p.m. she was directed to the Independence, Belize, police station by another police officer who identified himself as the investigating officer. There she was detained for 18 hours without any information and without an opportunity to engage an attorney. She was not read her rights. The police repeatedly told her that she did not need an attorney and would be free to go shortly. As she was giving her statement, the police officers repeatedly left out key portions and appeared to be unable to write in the English language.
“My mother was forced to sleep on a bare concrete floor, there was no working toilet, and she was verbally harassed by the police officers on duty throughout the night. The guards repeatedly tried to take her phone and put her in the cell block.
“At 4:45 p.m. on Dec. 21 she was finally released, only after numerous calls to the embassy, other police officials, attorneys and multiple residents. She was charged with two counts: ‘Negligent Grievous Harm’ and ‘Drove without due care and attention.’ As directed, she appeared at a magistrate’s hearing held on Dec. 23 at Dangriga Town Magistrate Court where she plead ‘not guilty’ to both charges and asked for a timely trial date so that she could return to the USA with her 86-year-old mother as planned. Despite the magistrate’s attempt with the prosecutor to move the date up, the hearing was scheduled for more than one month later, and she was forced to post a $3,000 surety bond and to turn over her passport.
“Shocked and shaken, my mom spent the next few days trying to locate a Belizean lawyer, arrange for funds to be wired to her in Belize so that she could pay her living expenses, pay a lawyer, secure a Belize telephone so that she could communicate with worried family in the U.S. and arrange for ongoing needed medication to be sent to her.
“In the meantime, several witnesses took the initiative to find her, telling her that they were disturbed that the police had not contacted them. The witnesses confirmed again that her car was stopped at the intersection, that the motorcycle swerved into her car, that his headlights were not on and he was not wearing a helmet. They also told her that the driver of the motorcycle had been drinking with a police officer just prior to the accident. The same witness gave their statements and names to the police officers and expected to be notified, but the investigating officers did not contact them. These witnesses then went to the Placencia Tourism Police to give their statements as instructed to do by our U.S. embassy.
“These statements have now somehow been ‘lost’ and not reached the proper authorities. It appears that the tourism police informed other police about the witnesses’ identify because this witness received a telephone call last night (Friday) threatening his life. After the call three men showed up in a truck at his residence and chased him down. He is currently so afraid that he is fleeing the area.
“The U.S. Embassy has said they won’t interfere in Belizean laws. My mother’s senator called the embassy and was told they couldn’t give him information about the case because they ‘didn’t get’ part of the privacy sharing agreement. They did, however, receive the section with relatives phone numbers but neglected to contact them so the signature section could be relaxed.
“Clearly the police force in Belize is guilty of misconduct, incompetence and harassment of a tourist, and possibly of attempted murder. Further corroboration on the corruption of the Independence police force was brought to our attention a few days ago in an article where a police officer in Independence terrorized a local family with young children on New Year’s Eve.”
Suzan Boutz has gained national recognition for her award-winning jewelry and ceramic designs. Her work is featured in numerous museum and gallery collections including The White House Collection of American Crafts, and The Smithsonian Renwick Gallery of American Art, Washington, D.C.
She currently lives and works in Chattanooga with her husband and has three children.
Do Not Trust the BTB or Minister of Tourism. He is a two faced snake who kisses the ass of the prime minister.
Everyone in the BTB is corrupt and the minister hates tourists.
You can’t be serious. So your comparing drug addicts and arrested drug users to 3 people whose only crime was that they were associated in some way to John McAfee? Not even close to being the same circumstance as you described.
I recently traveled from Belize and was told by the employees at our hotel that they make $3 – $12 a day. It’s not the tourist hurting these people its their own government. The only ones that would be hurt would be those who are making the most off of tourism. Poverty does not come close to describing how these people live. Most have shacks that have no electricity and are 1 room. Expats and tourist are killed all the time in Belize. If that sounds like a place that you would want to visit then be their guest. As for me, been there, done that. It’s not a safe place.
The only thing we do have control over is our own money and our voice. I choose not to spend mine in a place that arrest innocent people for association. I have seen the prison in Belize City and its not a place that I would wish my worst enemy to have to be. Its time to Rise up and take a stand.
You want to buy my house in Belize? It is a better place than San Pedro or Orange Walk.
I agree that Belize is corrupt and have personally had experiences with the corruption. However, I think it behooves us to remember that many of the root causes of the crime and corruption are in the first world countries that create demand for the drugs that flow through Central America. The Crips and Bloods of Belize City fame originated in America. The zetas who have infiltrated Belize originated with renengage ex-police officers in Mexico and wear police uniforms. Rich ex-pats who play ball with the politicians and police and bribe are enabling the corruption. There are too many murders, too many extortion attempts and too many home invasions, but to be fair I have not heard of anything like the mass murders that seem to have become a common occurance in the USA. I do not really see a lot of difference between the violence and corruption in Belize and that in the USA frankly.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1994, almost the entire police force was indicted for not only protecting the drug dealers, but for keeping the seizures of cocaine & marijauna, which they stored in warehouses along the river. They were using the drug dealers to sell the drugs & receiving payoffs for protection from arrested. The young girl who informed on them was murdered. We are talking about hundreds of kilos & corruption was rampant throughout the department. Another female police officer went to the Vietnamese restaurant where they considered her part of the family. She showed up at closing time & killed all 5 of them, along with her partner, another officer, so that she could rob the place. Antoinette Frank, a police officer.
It’s not just in Belize. It’s everywhere, so maybe we should be looking in our own backyards, before we condemn those of others. Damaging their image & asking others to boycott Belize, will only hurt the tens of thousands who survive solely from the tourist trade & the money it brings. What about directing our complaints directly to the Prime Minister or to someone in government who feels as we do? It just breaks my heart that you are threatening their livelihood.
Oops, my comment below should be here. An informed commentator would never would never make that make that mistake.
Stay safe John.
Wow, really hit a nerve there. Get some therapy and learn to enjoy life.
The November 22nd, 2012 issue of The Northern Star is online ( This Week’s Storie
Millionaire wanted for Murder Facts Vs. Fiction! )
Here is the shit :http://belizenews.com/NorthernStar/NorthernStar009.pdf
RISK is LIFE STAY UNsafe TC !
I cannot believe that Belize is in such a sorry state these days. My wife and I used to vacation there every year or two but after reading about all of the corruption there and how unsafe it is becoming, I do not think we will be returning anytime soon. It seems that this Mr Barrow character is out to try to get a slice of John’s hard-earned wealth through extortion. He should be the one going to jail, not John. Belize is turning into a disgrace!
Why would anyone trust the government in Belize? After what I have heard on this blog, it is pretty messed up. I was in Trinidad a couple months ago and the people there were all concerned about crime, but when I looked into the figures, Belize has a much higher homicide rate than Trinidad and it is much more dangerous. I hope that John can help bring awareness to a lot of the problems going on in Belize right now and somehow change the situation there. Belize is a beautiful country with many good people, but it looks like it needs a lot of help.
Hello Again J,
More and more I see people reacting to the so-called 1%. A few of those now have sold boats and planes and have decided travel would not be a good idea anymore outside the confines of the 1st world. Civilization is failing faster in the third world. I have no clue to fixing or changing this trend, but I know it leads to full blown out of control chaos. So, find the uncorrupted? Not without an invasion to restore right from wrong. You may not win without a revolution.
In the meantime, enjoy this tune. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrQ9MeYXhj8
Belizeans do not trust their government to protect them. Almost 15 percent of the San Pedro Ambergris Caye population turned out this spring to protest the crime rate and lack of safety in this resort town. Residents’ loss of their sense of security fueled the event. With the increasing numbers of home invasions, burglaries and armed hold ups, many no longer feel safe and secure in their homes and businesses. Robberies and car jackings, often injuring the victims, also heighten their insecurity. http://www.sanpedrodaily.com/5-8-10.html Belizeans for Justice recently called for the resignation of the Belize Police Commissioner. Belizeans for Justice members have since continued to fear for their lives. http://www.reporter.bz/index.php?mod=article&cat=Social&article=4479
Hello,
For those who may not be familiar with the name, Eugene Kaspersky is the founder of Kaspersky Lab, Russia’s largest anti-malware software company which has also had great success on the global market.
Of course, whether or not it is actually Eugene Kaspersky posting these messages is subject to debate. As far as I know, there has been no comments on his own blog or Twitter feed regarding Dr. McAfee.
Regards,
Aryeh Goretsky
Belize’s culture of corruption makes it unattractive to tourists. Drug-related crime in particular is spilling over into many communities, including resort areas. This is an assessment from the American Bar Association. Belize “is continuously plagued by violence, crime and corruption … Violent crime, money laundering and drug trafficking continue unabated in part due to insufficient countermeasures and government corruption. The scourge of drugs and transnational crime has heavily contributed to the rising crime rate and social decline in Belize.” http://www.abanet.org/rol/latin_america/belize.html
Canadians Boycott Belize Tourism, Murder Capital of the World
The Canadian government advises travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in Belize. US Government offers similar advice and more details of why Belize is a very bad destination for tourists. “Mugging is a risk to travellers especially in Belize City. Although the majority of reported incidents are in Belize City, crime occurs in all districts including tourist spots such as San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia. Muggings can occur at any time: day or night. Avoid dark alleys, keep valuables out of sight, and do not wear jewellery. Where possible you should travel in groups. You should use a qualified guide for trips off the beaten track. In some areas of Belize City there has recently been an increased risk of gang related violence. We advise visitors to avoid the areas around George Street and Kraal Road and to exercise caution whilst walking in the city. A lack of resources and training impedes the ability of the police to investigate crimes effectively and to apprehend serious offenders. As a result, many crimes remain unresolved. Nevertheless, victims of crime should report immediately to the police all incidents of assault, robbery, theft or other crimes.”
prisons “inna foreign” — a place no person ever wants to experience. Much corruption all over the beautiful Caribbean and Central American countries. Being an ex-pat living in a foreign land since my early 20’s, I have learned how to operate. Kind of like one of those “no see em bugs”. Because when you are there for so many years you know about too many injustices, too many murders… an amount of corruption that is just so blatant! In my Caribbean paradise there are very strict gun control laws, you can’t be armed, only the police and the criminals are armed. My main source of protection is ant spray, and many bells. Below is a link to what it is like to be in jail in Nicaragua:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/24/ucsd-grad-recounts-ordeal-in-nicaragua/?page=1#article
It seems you are dedicated to your adopted country of Belize. I sort of get what you are doing, but then again, I sort of don’t get it at all. You can’t stay in hiding forever, I totally realize that in your country there is NO JUSTICE at all. And your asking for people to contact the tourism people is right on target. We do that often where I stay most of the time, though, really and truly, it seems there are never any results. Any adverse publicity a tourist driven country gets “the authorities” quake in their boots. I have written to the emails that you provided.
I have seen so many ex-pats (US citizens, German citizens, Italian citizens) in my adopted country shot in the head, strangled, even killed by a knife, it’s not easy living in paradise. Not to mention many born there citizens, wrongly killed by the police, and many witnesses murdered when the innocent person slaughtered by the police when a trial is scheduled.
Stay safe and if you really don’t want to leave your island, why not hire a lawyer and go and talk to the police? It does sound like maybe there was a hit ordered on you, and some dunce went to the wrong house.
Hello,
To make things easier for readers of this blog to follow, Mark Coker ran a public relations firm that had McAfee Associates as a client back when McAfee Associates was first starting. Today, Mr. Coker operates a well-known ebook publishing business.
Regards,
Aryeh Goretsky
John,
morning here for me, up early and watching the Australian Cricket, love it.
I have lived in Hong Kong for 20 years, I have seen what damage expats can do to themselves in so many ways, usually money, girls, booze and the lack of law in many surrounding countries is their down fall.
Most never pull up from their spiral and end up owning a bar in a third world country,divorced, leaving all behind, hanging out with like minded expats and local hangers on who hope to benefit from what money they can pry from the “john”.
John you and I know that in a corrupt society where the misuse of public power for private gain cannot easily be overturned. In fact I’d say you have to fit in, if you are the squeaky wheel you’ll get the wrong attention.
Many like you enjoy the trappings of an almost lawless surround but once the lines between the moralities you arrived with and those that have been tarnished in time, have you believing your simply enjoying a “normal” life.
How far from the truth is this?
I never see those expats moving to Paris to enjoy history, to learn something new, to meet intelligent and learned people, learn to cook or study art, nor do they move to Rome, Venice, Florence, Oxford or any other city of interest.
What is the meaning of life, what is the purpose of existence, why are we here, ever ask yourself these questions, you might find the answer in yourself and that answer may help you understand that happiness comes from within, not from others. If you removed all of those around you and if you were not the centre of attention, would you still be happy??
Go and see the world, fall in love with Rome, Paris, Venice or Florence, see how many people made a difference to our world today, Da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Monet, Raphael, Bellini and the list goes on and on.
Your bigger than Belize, think about that.
Breakfast here, have fun.
Cheers.
John, ill-informed commentators on this blog will:
1.Always use numbered lists to make them appear more knowledgeable than they really are.
2.Give the most obvious advice possible.
3.Not read any prior posts to see if what they are posting is even relevant or been answered/discussed before.
4.Always, always, always say “stay safe”.
5.This last one really kills me but it is important is important to double type words for emphasis.
Sorry John,
My comment about Tor was not directed to you it was directed to “BeFreeBeSafe” who said “P.S I heard they tracked your IP and your not even in Belize? … Hackers eh lol…. I bet they know where you are…”
Of course, they DO NOT know where you are. As a security expert you would know how to mask your IP address.
Commitment means that it is possible for a man to yield the nerve center of his consent to a purpose or cause, a movement or an ideal, which may be more important to him than whether he lives or dies.
P.S. When the Government finally tracks my cell phone signal and breaks down the door, they will find a bunch of ecstatic journalists – but not me.
If the haters say: at least you can provide comfort to your friends if you are jail with them and you should do that because it is only as a result of their relationship with you that they are there… In fact, the opposite is true. While in jail your friends’ lives would be made even more of a living hell since what better method is there to use to get you to confess – or just simply to get back at you – but further harass and torture your friends in front of you. You would not be doing your friends any favor by turning yourself in.
No problem.
I am obviously using TOR. I founded one of the largest computer security firms in the world. Do you believe I would allow my I.P. address to be known?
John,
When you hire a lawyer for yourself, the first things he will tell you are:
1. Turning yourself in to get your friends out of jail would only result in all of you being in jail together.
2. Don’t take up any offers from anyone commenting at this blog. Of course, the authorities are reading everything here and the best way to try to get to you is to befriend you here and make you offers to get you out, etc. Just making contact with anyone here is dangerous.
3. This one kills me to say because I love reading your stories: Say as little as possible and shut this blog down now. Keep low and maintain only as much contact as necessary to get you out of Belize and to safety.
If your situation wasn’t so precarious, I would find it funny it funny that people are calling you paranoid. Paranoid is defined as: “a psychosis marked by delusions and irrational suspicion”. Believe me, it is very rational for you to think people are out to get you – because they are! – you would be delusional to think otherwise!
Once again, stay safe and ignore the haters.
I think that if you don’t leave, then you will probably be in a cell with your friends. You are fighting a battle that you cannot win. If you leave and grease some palms, then maybe their lawyers can get them out. Don’t be a martyr. There is little chance of you winning this. Maybe if there was a coup. Or maybe you have evidence of high level corruption and other governments will become aware of that. You still might be rotting in jail why they try to free you or be dead because you know too much. Got any friends in Guatemala? It seems that their military ( Guatemalan military ) is more than a match for the Belize military. But if they did conquer Belize, they might have to face the British military. So that is not very likely either. So it seems that unless you leave, you are going to be spending a good part of your life starving in a prison. There appears to be no rule of law in Belize now.
I like that picture that you took of Josh and you, it is hilarious. What a way to get back at him for publishing false information about you. You brought some of this upon yourself though by falsely letting people believe that you were manufacturing drugs.
I don’t know where you should go. to Florida where they can’t take your house from you in a judgement? Someone posted a great link about the levels of corruption in different countries. Chile had a very low level of corruption. Maybe you should go there. It is not a protectorate of Great Britain either and probably does not have a reciprocal agreement with Belize of that nature.
If John is using “Tor” to post and comment to this blog then it may appear he is outside of Belize but he is not. Tor scrambles IP addresses so his location cannot be tracked.
Tor is used by the military, journalists, law enforcement officers, activists, and many others to hide their true location.
“Tor helps to reduce the risks of both simple and sophisticated traffic analysis by distributing your transactions over several places on the Internet, so no single point can link you to your destination. The idea is similar to using a twisty, hard-to-follow route in order to throw off somebody who is tailing you — and then periodically erasing your footprints. Instead of taking a direct route from source to destination, data packets on the Tor network take a random pathway through several relays that cover your tracks so no observer at any single point can tell where the data came from or where it’s going.”
http://www.torproject.org
thanks john, 🙂
I have permanent residency.
John,
avoiding the question?
What legal right do you have to live in Belize?
Cheers.
A passport does not make a home.
John
you say Belize is your home, answer this, do you have a Belizean passport?
Do you have a right of abode visa or do you simply come in and out on a tourist visa?
It may be “your” home but to date your’ve not proven right of abode.
Cheers.
I support you, man. Your story would make an excellent book. I have been doing some research on the economy of Belize and the prison conditions. The world needs to know about this – to all who support John McAfee, let’s make it our mission to tell the world the truth.
Unrelated: John, I’ve noticed that you’ve changed your username from stuffmonger0205 to dostoevsky – hackers?? Come on people – he isn’t who you should be DDoS’ing. He needs your help.
Joe Rogan,,,, LOL he thinks your crazy too! Good luck on his show…. Tisk tisk….. John …. keep digging your whole deeper….
P.S I heard they tracked your IP and your not even in Belize? … Hackers eh lol…. I bet they know where you are 🙂 ….
Not saying it isn’t or that you shouldn’t go back to it later. And you probably have lots of good reasons for certainly not wanting to abandon all you have there. But if they catch you it’s over in an ugly way, there has to be a better way of fighting this. Forgive me for “arguing” with you, it’s just that in life, when it comes down to the wire, a good offence is indeed the best defense, but a good offence sometimes requires a strategic feint. If there is a mail I can drop you some info let me know.
I’ll do as you ask John, Good luck and keep fighting.
This is my home.
Each man must do what he thinks best, but seriously, there are other places just as cool as Belize and with a bit less crazyness. Brazil for example, which I know quite well. And which as far as I know does not extradite easily (or even at all).
We don’t know each other John, and I can’t be 100% sure everything is as you say, but I know one thing for sure, I sure would have you over as a dinner guest. And I have lived in enough screwed up countries to know none of what you write is implausible. Retreating to live to fight another day, or recover and regroup and mount a better charge, is not a stupid thing to do.
We are strangers and I am not a rich person, but if you change your mind, drop me a line. We’d get you out at our cost and I hope if it comes to that you’d reimburse us once you’re safe. I have left little to identify me here, but if you want to do a bit of background on me drop me a line at the mail I used, and I’ll send you something more concrete.
Good luck whatever you decide man, I really don’t want to read about you being caught/killed so try to stay ahead of the game whatever you do.
There is a lot of people thinking of you and wishing they could help in some way. Be safe.
Also, when I was living near Silk Grass, the head custom’s inspector down at a nearby port called Big Creek was so corrupt that every weekend he would reserve the suite at one of the best hotels in Placencia and have a plane load of hookers flown down from Belize City for him and his friends. He was living even better than McAfee at his best because he didn’t have anyone out to get him! I remember speaking to the man one time and he was loose as a goose. He started salivating when I pulled out the money to pay for a shipment I had imported and of course, offered me no receipt for my payment. Something about the official receipt book “run outa page”. Interesting character.
The police in a town called Silk Grass in southern Belize used to “store” the wares of the local drug dealers in the police station when I was living near there. Whenever the drug dealer needed some of his supply, he would drive over to the police station to pick it up. That way he could never get busted by some outside police officer or gang suppression unit. If any outside police officer ever caught the dealer, he would only have a small amount on him while the bulk of his product would be at the police station. It also took away any security issues for the local drug dealers because they did not have to worry about anybody stealing their supply. Of course, the police were paid off for their assistance in these matters.
And you are allowing people like this to post & attack the few posters who dare to contradict you, however mildly? This whole blog is a complete joke.I can’t believe what I am seeing. I will refrain from responding to your filthy mouth, Gee Whiz, but if you cannot disagree with someone in a civil manner, then please don’t post here. This is not a boxing ring.
Belize also has tourist police. They wear wear hawaiian shirts, have concealed hand guns and hang around the cruise ship port in Belize city. Belize also has American “security experts” on the payroll. I talked to some last time I was in Belize City.
Recently an old man who was drunk outside a bank in Ambergrise was robbed of his shoes and his money by two police officers. It is a case of the fox watching the chicken coop and typical of Central and South America. Some people can live with this reality. Ex pats have a choice the people born and raised there have fewer options.
Steve, it isn’t paranoia when you’re in a corrupt country with poor people who’d like to rob you or murder you. You have no experience of the world. And if you like McAfee made a dumb choice by moving to Belize, you really don’t know shit from shinola. You know where the highest number, by far, of kidnaps occurred in the 90’s? Dumb fuck? Take a fucking guess. You’ll never believe it.
Silicon Fucking Valley. Shit for brains. But you’d never know it, because they keep it out of the media: they don’t want to encourage copy cats, and they sure don’t want people to know just how easy it is to kidnap a rich person and get a big fat ransom. Yes, Steve Shit for Brains, far more kidnappings in Silicon Valley than in fucking Rio de Janeiro. Who’da thunk it?
Go back to fucking Disneyland with your mommy and daddy and your thumb stuck in your mouth with some dirty toilet paper sticking out your asshole and leave the people who are really dealing with corruption to discuss these matters intelligently.
Don’t be stupid. At least get out for now, until the corruption is exposed and these people can no longer harm you.
Yep, I’d get the hell outta there and let a real estate agent sell off your properties. Costa Rica’s beautiful, too.
Great to see all these tech media exposing themselves as worthless trash with biased articles. I wouldn’t take their tech or stock advice since they’re nothing but propaganda.
I visited the state of Guerrero in Mexico once, and I saw the tourist police in beige, there to protect tourists from the state police in black, who kidnap and hold tourists for ransom. Once, the state police tried to kidnap plainclothes state police who were in an unmarked car. Too funny how corrupt these places are. Americans who’ve never been anywhere but Disneyland, like that twat Joshua, ought to be dumped in Guerrero with no money. He’d have to sell his ass to get out alive.
Thank you, but this is my home. I will not leave.
This is my letter to the requested organizations. I hope it helps. I am touched very deeply by your cause, by the injustuce of your situation, not only by the Belize authorities but also by the biased and sensational press who has so irresponsibly and inaccuratly reported this situation. My heart goes out to you John in hopes that this wil all turn out posiitively for all. Best of luck. Gain strength and know that there are many people who think to you and send you courage. I make typos too. Not easy typing on a tablet.
To whom it may concern,
It appears that your police force are illegally retaining three employees of John Mcafee, a resident of your community, searched by the authorities for questioning in the death of his neighbor, Gregory Faull. According to all accounts, he has not yet been accused of this murder by the authorities, he is only a “person of interest.”. Whatever the situation or vendetta against Mr. Mcafee, we demand, as a matter of human rights and dignity practiced in any democratic nation, that a full legal explanation of the detainment of his employees be forthcoming to the public and that these employees be released unharmed immediately, pending a trial, if warranted for whatever their crime has been, if any.
You are a country who’s economy depends heavily on tourism. I can only say that for myself, when I read about the injustice prevailed upon your own citizens and unsuspecting tourists as well, i will never visit your country no matter how beautiful and exotic. I travel quite a bit and am in the business of tourism myself along with my partner and advise people from all over the world. We live in France and the USA and have an extensive network. Under the present circumstances, with your current system of haphazard and dangerous police and government seizures of innocent citizens and your lack of respect for human dignity, not only will we not advise travel to your country, we will strongly advise against it.
For the protection of your visitors and to restore your tourism, we strongly urge you to use whatever influence you may have to release these three employees. This would give a positive signal to the world that Belize is trying to correct the corrupt system and return to a safer place.
I do not personally know Mr. Mcafee. I am not his friend. I have been researching and reading about the corruption and dangerous justice system there for sometime. This situation has just prompted me to write for the first time. I hope that you are aware of the damage this can do to tourism in your country, not to mention your own citizens.
Thank you for taking the time to read my mail, consider the points that i have made and to do whatever is in your power to have these employees released if they have done no crime.
Leaving this question again as my comment seems to have not been among the recovered ones, it was the first comment on the original post:
Serious question: Would it be useful for you if someone came to help you get out of the country?
John, while I understand your love for Belize and your concern for your friends, you need to get out of the country as soon as feasible. You’re playing a high-stakes game, one which Governments rarely lose. As long as you’re in Belize, you are playing the game on their terms. Your friends are a bargaining chip they are using against you. Once you’re unobtainable, there’s no reason to hold them. They likely won’t release them, but obtaining their release through diplomatic channels becomes a real possibility. A word of caution – while it looks like Belize isn’t part of the International Criminal Court, they do have an extradition treaty with the US. I would advise not coming back here. But I do think your best chance for success lies in getting back to the first world, filing a nice little defamation suit again Wired/Gizmodo/et al. and pursuing a diplomatic solution to the plight of your associates there.
It’s odd to read all the blogs and try to make sense of what you may be going through. But in reading some of these, Yes an obvious paranoia does shine through but that seems to become a trend in the rich, Especially considering you have opted to live in a poor country. You had to know at one point that because of who you are people in that country would cause you to become a target! Then there is an aspect in reading these that although you are going through “rough times” in an odd sort of way you do seem to be somewhat enjoying the hunt and chase.
Now I know who you are. Yes, I will take you up o your email’d offer.
The prison system in Belize is an ugly mess and it is rife with drugs and home-made weapons. I would not want to go there and I certainly do not blame John for not wanting to even be put in any proximity to it. Security guards are paid off to look the other way while drugs and weapons are passed into the prisons and they are all too willing to do that. For a little extra, I am sure that they would look the other way while someone was being murdered. Belize’s security guards are paid a standard wage for Belize, but, just like most people in Belize, they feel that it is not enough.
Belizeans will “hustle” more money than their wages by doing shifty and morally dodgy things. I lived there for many years and can attest to the myriad number of ways that many people in Belize can justify their petty crimes through the common excuse of needing to hustle. The other thing that many people reading this blog may not be aware of is that you must have a watchman to watch over your property whenever you are not around. If you leave and go somewhere for a few weeks, you will most likely find your house ransacked with not even large furniture and appliances spared. The police will be of no help to you and they will even berate for not having a watchman if you didn’t have one!
And that is not the worst of it. Watchmen in Belize are the biggest criminals of all. You literally have to pay a watchman to watch your watchman. That is not as easy as it sounds either. It is quite an interesting proposition since you must find someone who does not know the original watchman or who is his enemy, because otherwise the two of them will conspire together to relieve you of your valuables!
I am an English lawyer. Your telephone interview is in today’s UK Financial Times.
Why stay in Belize? Surely the best solution is to leave.
John, hang tough. The last couple weeks have been tragic on so many levels. When historians 100 years from now look back at your story, long after we’re all gone, I hope they don’t lose sight of the positive contribution you made to Internet culture and business. During the brief time I worked with you 20 years ago, your radical ideas about commercial shareware, trusting customers, the power of free, and online software distribution inspired me, and this was all pre-Internet. In the time since, I’ve internalized, synthesized and implemented these ideas in my own businesses with great effect, as have many other entrepreneurs ranging from Marc Andreessen with Netscape to today’s largest and most successful internet businesses. I blogged a bit about some of this a few years ago at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-coker/protect-ebooks-or-trust-c_b_341173.html For the benefit of historians and contemporaries alike, here’s the InfoWorld interview from ’93 I arranged for you: http://bit.ly/QzZQhq or http://books.google.com/books?id=rjsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98&lpg=PA98&dq=john+mcafee+rachel+parker+infoworld&source=bl&ots=FTphwxMPen&sig=bvQ82hJkYRnjsfwYl4fxO4f86TE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DMWvUOOLE-TWiALk9YGQCA&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=john%20mcafee%20rachel%20parker%20infoworld&f=false There’s also the Forbes “Honor System” interview with Julie Pitta from 1994, though I’m unable to find an online archive. Here’s a snippet: http://bit.ly/WnHHjC or http://books.google.com/books?id=2TK8AAAAIAAJ&q=julie+pitta+john+mcafee+forbes&dq=julie+pitta+john+mcafee+forbes&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NL2vUOmTPMr2iwKKzoGgCg&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA
Take care and be safe.
mark
Scarey to know that the Hattiville prison is the “good” prison. It looks pretty bad from the outside to me. However, living conditions for poor people in Belize are far worse than “poverty” in the first world so I guess it stands to reason.
These are the comments that were recovered. Thanks for your patience.
Adam on November 23, 2012 at 2:12 pm said: [Edit]
Hello
Joe rogan has reached out to you via twitter. His podcast would be a way to get your story out and it would reach many times the number of people that this will. Please consider it
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Rich on November 23, 2012 at 2:30 pm said: [Edit]
I will email the tourism address as you request. However, please consider the Joe Rogan interview, that will REALLY get your side of the story out worldwide.
Stay safe man. I have no doubt you are innocent. If you were guilty, you wouldnt be petitioning for the release of your friends and employees.
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Glyn on November 23, 2012 at 2:16 pm said: [Edit]
Dont exagerate its not all bad, I hear they give you an extra slice of rancid cheese at Christmas
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SL on November 23, 2012 at 2:33 pm said: [Edit]
Are they being held with no possibility for bail? Apparently they are charging Mr. Mulligan with possessing unlicensed weapons and ammunition. Have they levied any charges against Mr. Chavarria and Mr. Ancona?
Your security guard, Mr. Mulligan, is a British national correct? If so is the British embassy helping at all?
I am assuming your other two friends are Belizian citizens.
I have contacted my US Senator who sits on the Foreign Relations committee and expressed my concerns concerning this case. You can find out who sits on that committee here:
http://www.foreign.senate.gov/
I admire your loyalty to your friends, sir. I have read elsewhere of how dismal the conditions are in Belize jails. It is cruel and inhumane in my opinion to subject your friends to this treatment when their only crime was being associated to you.
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Highrise on November 23, 2012 at 2:58 pm said: [Edit]
John,
Prisons not meant to be nice, it’s suppose to deter people from ever going there.
If you value your friend as much as you make out, go down to the prison and exchange yourself for their freedom.
It’s not glasses you need it’s a dose of reality, your only tolerated in Belize because you have money, when the money runs out, so will the honey’s .
Wake up from your haze and smell the roses, your hangers on all consider you their meal ticket.
Cheers
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John McAfee on November 23, 2012 at 3:23 pm said: [Edit]
You are naiive if you think they will be released in exchange for me.
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Highrise on November 23, 2012 at 4:07 pm said: [Edit]
John,
They are all held on you account, don’t think for a minute they are interested in your friends, don’t let your friends suffer on your account.
Cheers
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John McAfee on November 23, 2012 at 4:58 pm said: [Edit]
They will not be released if I turn myself in. The Government will simply make the case a “conspiricy case” so that we can all get life in prison. I have retained lawyers for them all. I have not retained a lawyer for myself.
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Marko from Mississippi on November 23, 2012 at 3:06 pm said: [Edit]
Mr McAfee,
Man what a mess it sound like you and your friends/associates are in. As I was sitting down last night to a full fledge version of the American Thanksgiving dinner I actually thought of you for a second. I was wondering if you were having the same dinner as I was about to have and thought probably not. Hell, you might hate Turkey and dressing but I bet you don’t.
I am sorry for your predicament but it looks like you are way smart enough to plan or work your way out of it. You have enough press and blog following to address a questioning session from the local authorities without the threat of being taken out back, shot in the head and then fed to the pigs. Hell, make it a “Paid for View” or a “Live on the Net” event so we could all watch and then all your new followers (at least on this blog) could judge for ourselves. Then if the so you say corrupt local Belizeans authorities are bad boys and girls with you and your friends we would all know.
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Frenchy on November 23, 2012 at 3:15 pm said: [Edit]
I have written both addresses. I hope that it will help however you will not get enough letters from this blog. Perhaps there is a more public forum where you can ask others? If you have an email address, I can send a copy to you of my letters. As we advise others on travel, perhaps it will have some effect. Sorry for your friends if they are being held only due to their association with you. The conditions are inhuman for a democratic country. Certainly, there are human rights organizations that can get involved?
Good luck from France. We are counting that you are guilty only of hiding as if not, it will certainly negate all of your efforts to end the corruption in Belize.
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Jesse on November 23, 2012 at 3:26 pm said: [Edit]
You should do the Joe Rogan interview.
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Ozzy on November 23, 2012 at 3:29 pm said: [Edit]
Why the hell u live in a corrupt pile of garbage country like that? U need to get back to the US. At least it’s a little safer here. Anyway u need to get on joe rogans podcast if u really want to get your story out. Powerful joe rogan is your best chance
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McAfee4President on November 23, 2012 at 3:54 pm said: [Edit]
Grammar? Spelling??? John, don’t even acknowledge those people.
You’re not here to have us grade you on a paper you wrote. You’re telling us your story. If a few idiots have a problem with your spelling, well screw them and they can stop reading at any point they like.
As a poster above mentioned, Joe Rogan’s show would be a great place to have your story reach even more people. He has a pretty large following. Something to consider I suppose.
I wish you the best and have been praying for you! Good luck John!
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John McAfee on November 23, 2012 at 3:59 pm said: [Edit]
trying to contact him now with no success.
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OriginalWoman on November 23, 2012 at 4:58 pm said: [Edit]
Keep trying until you connect with Rogan.
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John McAfee on November 23, 2012 at 5:09 pm said: [Edit]
Will do
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McAfee4President on November 23, 2012 at 4:58 pm said: [Edit]
I’m trying to get ahold of him as well. I asked him to direct message me on twitter so I can give him your email privately.
Is it ok to give him that email that you have contacted me through?
Mark
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John McAfee on November 23, 2012 at 5:09 pm said: [Edit]
yes
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Ozzy on November 23, 2012 at 5:04 pm said: [Edit]
Twitter is best I think. @joerogan
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Tg on November 23, 2012 at 4:52 pm said: [Edit]
mr.
well, if they’re innocent, they will be released. cell conditions are meant for persons to re consider life, its not luxury. have faith and turn to God
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