Antivirus Founder, John McAfee, Claims arrest and harassment by GSU

Perhaps because politics is equally beautiful no matter where you are....

Dateline: Belize, May 2, 2012

John McAfee is the founder of McAfee Antivirus has been a philanthropist and investor in Belize. How rich is McAfee? We’re not sure, but rich enough to donate a vessel worth one point two million dollars to the Belize Coastguard in January 2009. McAfee lives in Belize and he says that he has become a target of the Gang Suppression Unit. He says the GSU came busting into his research facility in Orange Walk, killed his dog, took his passport, handcuffed him and arrested him on a bogus weapons charge. McAfee says he’s a victim because he didn’t donate money to a known U.D.P. Orange Walk politician.

Belize, once known for it's stunningly beautiful landscape, its pristine environment, and most of all it strident political neutrality seems to have become.... well.... some might say "civilized."

In 2010 a new unit of the police was formed; the Gang Suppression unit (GSU) and as of late, it has proven to be as "proactive" as some of the more oppressive regimes' favorite jack-heeled boot, goose-stepping arm breakers...

... I was told to put up my hands up against the wall as was eleven other people on the compound. We had about eleven people present at the time—five of them were women. I was told that they had a warrant to search property. They began, with sledge hammers, to break the doors of the buildings—none of them were locked, but they just went and broke them in any case. I was merely watching this. They confiscated my passport, all of the weapons we used for security on the compound, handcuffed me and everyone and for fourteen hours outside in the sun, I sat handcuffed without food or water. We got water around noon. At three o’clock we asked for food. We were told by the GSU, do we look like cooks to you. They murdered my dog in cold blood. That was the thing I think—it was a warning to us that this is serious; don’t mess with us. They threw things around, they stole things—it was unbelievable, unimaginable for a country that was supposedly a democratic country. I was arrested on a bogus charge of having an illegal firearm—a firearm without a license. At the very beginning of the day, one of the GSU soldiers, one of the GSU officers, took all of my firearm licenses and put them in his vest. When he took them out to check the firearms, this one was missing. They charged me for having a firearm without a license; took me to Belize City. Fortunately we had copies. We showed up later at the police station with the copies. Even then it was difficult to get out. I had to get the intervention of the American embassy to get released....

A bit of further investigation seems to indicate that this nation has become the playground of despots, and that 'pre-crime' is punishable by law.... sound familiar?

Original story: Antivirus Founder, John McAfee, says politics caused GSU raid

I'm really pleased to get this info. We've been looking at buying land in Central/South America for the last six months. Belize is one of the countries we were looking at.

This is the second negative report I've seen. One experienced ex-pat told me she had been shaken down by the police in Belize on a visit there. She strongly suggested it was not where we wanted to be.