Mr. McAfee looks stoned.>
Posted on 05/05/2012 8:44:34 PM PDT by marktwain
John McAfee was reportedly arrested in Belize for having a firearm without a license. His story sounds just as unbelievable as the false arrest itself.
ZoomLocal news channel News 5 in Belize reports that McAfee founder John McAfee was arrested at his research facility in Orange Walk for having a firearm without a license. McAfee calls the arrest bogus, claiming that it was an intentional move because he failed to bribe a local political boss in the local district.
"On Monday at six o’clock, I was awakened by the sound of a bullhorn, a megaphone," McAfee explains. "I went outside and saw about thirty GSU in full uniform, full dressed, automatic weapons, storming through the property and drive way. I went back inside, got some clothes on, I came out. I was told to put up my hands up against the wall as was eleven other people on the compound."
At the time, there were eleven people other than McAfee present at the facility, five of which were women. The GSU said they had a warrant to search the property, but instead of simply entering through the doors and conducting their search in a civilized manner, they reportedly took sledgehammers to every door, all of which were unlocked. McAfee just stood watching, shocked.
"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," he told News 5. "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."
He said that during the search, they threw things around and stole many items. One of the GSU officers even confiscated all of his firearms licenses and put them in his vest. When the search was over, he pulled the licenses back out except for one. Based on this "missing" license, McAfee was charged with having a firearm without a license, and dragged him off to Belize City.
"Fortunately we had copies," he said. "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. By the time I got to Belize, it was sixteen hours. I slept until two a.m. on a concrete floor at the Queen’s Street Police Station until the embassy finally convinced someone to release me."
He said the police claimed they didn't have his passport even though they snatched it up during the search. "This is clearly a military dictatorship where people are allowed to go and harass citizens based on rumor alone and treat them as if they are guilty before any evidence whatsoever is obtained," he added. "It began, innocently enough, with my refusal to donate to the local political boss of the district where I lived in Orange Walk and I have given at least two million dollars in gifts to the police departments in Orange Walk, San Pedro, Belize City, to the village of Carmelita, and the City of Orange Walk."
The 64-year-old McAfee founder was never officially charged. He said he has a fair amount of money and not much to do. Thus, he has started programs to feed children, help mothers whose husbands have "simply disappeared" -- he essentially spends his money where he thinks it will do good. He doesn't invest in political parties, and he doesn't have any political affiliation, so naturally he refused to donate to the politician in question.
"I’ve given a million dollars to the police department, so he should get a huge chunk and he got nothing," he said. "Immediately after that, he began—not personality but his aids—began a campaign of calling to the local radio stations on Saturday morning talk shows saying the same thing; 'What are we going to do about the white man at the toll bridge? He has all of these security guards. He’s probably involved in illegal activities. Everybody is complaining about him.' Nothing could be further from the truth. That politician by the way did not get reelected."
Striking Belize off the possibilities for my bucket list...
I knew McAffee lived in Belize, didn’t realize he actually lives in Orange Walk, that’s where I grew up. Yes, there are a lot of corrupt politicians down there.
Until now ...
” Striking Belize off the possibilities for my bucket list...”
Oh yeah!
Coincidentally, I just renewed my McAfee subscription yesterday.
Many years ago we visited Ambergis Caye off the coast of Belize. Flight into Belize was late so had to spend the night in Belize because there are no lights on Ambergis’ runway. Our taxi driver who was from New York told us we would be better off since we were strangers to stay in the hotel during the night time. Later explored city during daytime and bought some beautiful black coral jewelry. Reminded me some of Jamaica except was cleaner. There were some military types riding around in jeeps with machine guns mounted. Ambergis was beautiful - not very developed at that time, awesome snorkling and platters full of freshly caught lobster for dinner.
Wherever there is a interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done, and not less readily by a powerful & interested party than by a powerful and interested prince.
While I like the McAffee programs for puter security I did not like them accessing my private info to renew their subscription automatically. You have to dig hard to make it NON-auto renew.
Down in the Banana Republic
things aren’t as warm as they seem ... [Jimmy Buffet song]
I suspect it was because he was so rich and willing to fork over big bucks that this happened.
For a time, I was a Miami based Boeing 720 captain for Belize Airways in the mid 1970s. The Belizians I worked with were all nice people, but, if you wanted to get anything done, you had to do it yourself.
Mr. McAfee looks stoned.
"I went outside and saw about thirty GSU in full uniform, full dressed, automatic weapons, storming through the property and drive way. I went back inside, got some clothes on, I came out. I was told to put up my hands up against the wall as was eleven other people on the compound."
Anyone who would set up a business in a country that has writers with such a command of the English language as Kevin Parrish is looking for trouble.
Mr. McAfee looks stoned.
"I went outside and saw about thirty GSU in full uniform, full dressed, automatic weapons, storming through the property and drive way. I went back inside, got some clothes on, I came out. I was told to put up my hands up against the wall as was eleven other people on the compound."
Anyone who would set up a business in a country that has writers with such a command of the English language as Kevin Parrish is looking for trouble.
Mr. McAfee looks stoned.>
I feel like McAfee looks. It 6:30 am and I’m trying to communicate with the world and all of a sudden I am not able to preview my posts. Thus the gobbledygook that appears above.
Anyone else have that happen? I do not have the box checked that shuts off preview.
Of course, this time it works. Oh, well.
You choose to live in a Third World Hellhole, what do you expect to happen?
ALL countries south of the U.S. border are totally corrupt.
ALL countries south of the Mediterranean are totally corrupt.
Is there something in common here?
It's kind of discouraging, so I guess I'll have to find somewhere else to relocate my vast empire.
.
.
.
That was my thought while reading this story. A vision of our future no doubt.
As the late Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/145/fantasy-island.html
McAfee is in Belize to shelter his assets from numerous lawsuits stemming from the negligent operation of a extreme sport ultra light aircraft scheme.
He is shacked up with a 17 year old local minor.
He ostensibly is funding research into medicinal plant derived antibiotics, or a female viagra.
He is living in a walled compound with several armed security guards. He is living a high profile life flashing a lot of money, and also flaunting local law and sensibilities.
Whatever the source of his current troubles with local law, he seems to have brought a lot of his troubles with him.
Frgds,
3/M
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