_{Photo: Group of Guatemalans found logging in Belize}

Wil Maheia: “If you give up, then the bad guys win.”

by Marco Lopez

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Oct. 10, 2024

On Wednesday’s edition of XTV’s WUB Morning Vibes show, Wil Maheia, leader of the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), told host, YaYa Marin Coleman that fish stocks have rebounded in the southern waters of Belize, as a result of constant efforts to prevent the entry of Guatemalan fishing boats as well as the ban on gill nets.

The gill net ban, first legislated in 2020, has benefitted from community enforcement by the BTV in the waters off the coast of Punta Gorda, along the Toledo cayes, and in the Sarstoon River area – locations that were once prime fishing grounds for illegal Guatemalan vessels.

“For the first time in many, many years, we are seeing sharks near the Guatemalan border; because of the amount of gill nets they have, sharks were nearly completely eliminated from that area; they were completely wiped out from that area,” Maheia said.

He shared a video of sharks feeding on bait fish in an area near the Guatemalan border within Belizean waters. Maheia remarked that it was a blessing to see because, at one point in the not too distant past, all the bait fish were gone from that location.

“Because of the amount of gill nets, and they [the Guatemalans] did not respect the size when it came to gill nets,” Maheia explained.

But currently, as a result of the consistent effort of the BTV, southern fisherfolk may very well have access to a replenished traditional fishing ground, left near barren due to illegal overfishing by Guatemalans for years.

“They would just set their gill nets and wipe out everything, so the area became almost barren,” Maheia commented.

BTV commends BDF work in Colombia Forest Reserve

While the rebounding of fish stocks in the southern waters is an occasion to celebrate, Maheia highlighted that the constant plundering of the Colombia Forest Reserve is of grave concern.

On September 7, a group of Belize Defence Force (BDF) soldiers intercepted an illegal logging operation 600 meters within Belize’s border, near the Machakilha Conservation Outpost in the Toledo District.

Five Guatemalan men were found with four chainsaws – actively logging the area, with transportation available to export the timber back to Guatemala. The BDF was on a mission to destroy makeshift bridges built in the jungle to allow trucks to pass back across the border into Guatemala when they came across the four men.

This mission had to be aborted.

The five men, ranging in ages, are believed to be a part of a larger logging operation that has been ongoing within the area for years. Unconfirmed reports are that some BDF soldiers have been bribed in the past by these illegal loggers, and those soldiers then allowed them to continue the illegal work. These assertions were made by one of the detained men, Juan Jose Garcia, 36.

Major Roberta Usher, Chief of Staff for the BDF, confirmed, in an interview with local media, that illegal bridges were inside Belizean territory. She said that operations were being conducted in the area which led to the discovery of the individuals and equipment.

Major Usher, however, could not confirm reports that the soldiers on the ground who had detained the Guatemalan men were then surrounded – and at risk of being overpowered.

The chainsaw operators detained were identified as Santiago Gomez, 56; his son, Oscar Gomez, 17; Juan Jose Garcia, 36 – said to be the boss of the operation; Emilio Chun, 29; and Ariel Garcia, 24. 

The Patrol Commander with the BDF is reportedly facing disciplinary charges for releasing these individuals and two of the chainsaws they had in their possession, a move he allegedly made to de-escalate the situation.

Also detained in the operation was a woman identified as 29-year-old Lydia Ramirez, wife of Juan Garcia, who was accompanied by two young children. They were also reportedly released with the minor, Oscar Gomez.

The Patrol Commander’s decision, to de-escalate the situation and release the men and two of the chainsaws, was a sound one, according to Minister of National Defence, Hon. Florencio Marin, Jr.

“I don’t have the specifics. I do know that there was some aggression, that we were able to work with the Guatemala side to be able to bring that to a resolution,” Hon. Marin, Jr. said to local media in an interview on September 20, 2024.

As to the allegations from Juan Jose Garcia, that they have “worked” with the BDF in the past to allow them to log the area – implying that bribes were given to BDF soldiers for this approval – Minister Marin said it is the first time he was hearing of the allegation.

Chief of Staff, Major Usher, said that it is something being investigated by the force.

For the leader of the BTV, Maheia, this case sheds light on the pivotal work of the BDF in conserving our forest and natural resources.

“I applaud the BDF – because it’s not all BDF that are bad BDF – a lot of them are very good BDF. So, the ones who made it known that, yes, our officer was taking a bribe, I think that we have to applaud those people, because it’s all of us Belizeans who have to keep an eye on each other to make sure we are guarding the environmental – social health of this country,” Maheia said.