Customs boss admits shortcomings in security
Two recent cases of missing containers have highlighted some major shortcomings at the Customs Department. Today comptroller Gregory Gibson told News Five’s Marion Ali that, at least in these instances, his investigations were always only a step behind.
Gregory Gibson, Comptroller of Customs
“The individuals who had tried to give the impression that it was an exportation in the first instance realised that we were on to that game. In this second instance, they paid the duties. So that would have removed some sort of suspicion from that line of activity. But again we were just a tad but behind to really intercept it.”
Marion Ali
“But in the second instance where a local businessman signed for the container, couldn’t you trace it from there and get details out of him as to which one of your customs officers was in on this?”
Gregory Gibson
“That’s the strange part. Again, at customs you make a declaration. The individual who made that declaration—and I’m not going to release his name at this time—is nobody you can verify. We believe it’s a fictitious name. we believe that at the end of the investigation, perhaps the broker may be able to shed some light. Again, you can recall Marion, if you are exporting a shipment from the U.S., you are importing something into Belize, if you have all the documents which indicate ownership then customs has no reason to suspect that this is something abnormal. In this case, the broker came in so the broker had full authority to process the declaration on his behalf.”
Marion Ali
“And this person might not even exist?”
Gregory Gibson
“That is what we believe.”
Marion Ali
“How long do you think this has been happening? It’s only two of them that you’ve detected so far.”
Gregory Gibson
“We’re not aware that this has been going on a long time. As a matter of fact, we do believe that it’s the—based on the close proximity, its not something that has been happening and because we have forced them to changed their game, we believe they will divert to something else.”
Marion Ali
“Have you taken any measures to enhance your system? Obviously, it has the loopholes.”
Gregory Gibson
“Yes, we certainly have to look at the discretion that we use in regards to the vetting process of importers. We may have to look at …”
Marion Ali
“The movement of these containers, inspection …”
Gregory Gibson
“The inspection again, we’re moving towards trade facilitation. Ninety-nine percent of our importers are compliant. We perhaps need to maybe improve on our profiling.”
Gibson says a total of five customs officers are under investigation with respect to the two incidents. Three are believed to have committed fraud in the first instance, while in the second scenario, two who have been working there for at least ten years, might not have applied the proper procedures. In the first instance, the rig labeled as spice from Lebanon was purportedly destined for Mexico, but was believed to have been diverted to somewhere in Belize. Meanwhile, in the second instance, the forty-foot container truck, invoiced as medicine and vitamins, was consigned to a Dangriga based businessman. It left the Belize City Port after nine pm on April twenty-eighth en route to Dangriga but never made it. The driver said he got a phone call telling him to use the Coastal Road and about a mile along that road seven armed men in three vehicles allegedly held him up and stole the container. The empty and abandoned vehicle was found on George Price Boulevard in Belmopan. In both cases it is not known what exactly were in the containers.
