Customs Department’s generous donation to B.D.F. and Coast Guard

The Customs Department this afternoon gifted a list of confiscated marine equipment to both the B.D.F. and the Coast Guard. The items were seized last Christmas Eve during an exercise that involved the three agencies. The list ranges from dive suits to scuba compasses, pressure hoses and maintenance kits. Duane Moody was present for the handover this afternoon at the Customs Department.

Duane Moody, Reporting

The Customs Department today handed over approximately fifty thousand dollars worth of diving equipment to the Belize Defense Force and the coastguard. The donation was made possible following a bust of un-customed goods during a joint operation between the Customs Department, the Belize national Coast Guard and the Anti-Drug Unit back in December of last year.

Gilbert Gordon

Gilbert Gordon, Public Relations Officer, Customs Department

“Intercepted a vessel in the San Pedro area that were carrying un-customed goods. The department then charged the individuals where an out of court settlement was reached. The total finds amounted to a sum of ninety-two thousand dollars of which forty-five thousand dollars have already been paid into the government that can use these equipment and utilize it to the best of its ability.  We’ll be handing over four units of best divers dive suits four units of mares dive jackets, two units of scuba compass, eleven sets of mares maintenance kits, ten units of pressure hose, eight units of mares regulators and eight units of pressure gauge with the hose valued at a sum of twelve thousand Belize dollars. In respect to the national Coast Guard, the department is handing over seven units of best divers dive suits, fourteen units mares dive jackets, two units of scuba compass, thirty-seven sets of mares maintenance kits, sixty units of pressure hose, sixteen units of mares regulators and fifty-two units of pressure gauge valued at a sum of thirty-seven thousand Belize dollars.

Steven Ortega

On hand to receive the items were deputy commander of the B.D.F., Lieutenant Colonel Steven Ortega and John Borland, commander of the Belize National Coast Guard. Both reiterated that the much needed equipment will be used in their fight against crime at sea as well as rescue missions.

Lt. Col. Steven Ortega, Deputy Commander, B.D.F.

“On behalf of General Jones, I’d like to thank the Customs Department and by extension the Ministry of Finance for this generous donation that will definitely help to improve the capacity and the capability of the Belize Defense Force in order for us to continue doing what we do which is to ensure security of the national of Belize and to aid us in doing this.”

John Borland, Commander, Belize National Coast Guard

John Borland

“The donation here today comes at no better time when the Coast Guard finds itself in dire need of such equipment to conduct safety and security operations for citizens as Colonel Ortega emphasized earlier on. In our brown water, blue water and green water littorals; from time to time more than we like, we are called to conduct search and rescue and recovery operations and this is exactly why we need some of these equipment. And as you have heard before, these equipments are not easy to come by and quite expensive to obtain and maintain. So I want to say on behalf of the officers—men and women—of the Coast Guard, thank you sir and your staff for putting this together and making this event possible. This equipment will go into use as early as tomorrow when we conduct live operations.”

According to Public Relations Officer at the Customs Department, Gilbert Gordon, the donation is a testament of the ongoing relations between the department and the defense agencies of the country. Duane Moody for News Five.