Rosewood bust in the South

Greg Cho’c

From Orange Walk, we head south. The illegal logging of rosewood appeared to have cooled down that is until this week when SATIIM rangers on patrol in the Sarstoon Temash National Park detected a well organized operation along the Belize/Guatemala border near Black Creek. On Wednesday, the rangers found thirty-eight flitches of rosewood that had been felled within the national park, as well as containers of fuel.  SATIIM sought assistance and personnel from the B.D.F. were deployed, but for security reasons, the rangers and B.D.F. had to abort the operation. It is reported that the illegal loggers fled the area and returned overnight to extract the flitches.  While SATIIM has carried out an assessment, executive director Greg Ch’oc says they have not determined the value of the felled lumber.

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Via Phone: Greg Cho’c, Executive Director, SATIIM

“Yesterday, our rangers on their routine patrols were instructed to go up the Sarstoon River and at about two p.m., they radioed our office to report that they came across a logging operation inside the national park in the area of Black Creek and asked what they should do. Considering that they are not armed and they carried no firearm with them, the only other individual with authority in the area that accompanied them was the traditional leader, the Alcalde. So because of the nature of the encounter, I called the forestry department in Punta Gorda and asked if they were in a position to assist because the rangers had encountered what seemed to be a massive illegal logging inside the park. Most of what they found was rosewood. It took a while before…we generally agreed that they would provide support and we started to determine how we would get the B.D.F. to the location. Eventually, it was finalized and we dispatched three B.D.F. to the area; that was yesterday. They arrived and were briefed by our rangers—this was around four-thirty, five o’clock thereabouts. They inspected the flitches, the thirty-eight flitches that were on the bank of the Sarstoon River, but because of the time, our rangers in partnership with the B.D.F. and commanding officer decided to abort the operation because they were not certain about the number of men that were hiding in the bushes. There were people calling to each other, making signs, noise in the bush and the rangers explained that it sounds like there were quite a few men out there and because of the timing they decided to move out of the area and come into town.”

Isani Cayetano

“Greg, can you tell us whether or not the value of the thirty-eight flitches of roses has been determined?”

Via Phone: Greg Cho’c

“Not yet, not yet. What happened this morning, we agreed again with forestry to go back into the area and to assess the extent of the operation. We suspect the operation is being conducted by Guatemalans so addition six B.D.F. and two police were taken by SATIIM’s boat to the area. When they reached the site, the fltches that were there yesterday had been extracted, taken out. Also those that had been cut that were further away from the bank of the river. So obviously last night, those involved may have or definitely worked along the night to extract those flitches that they had cut.”