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We know… It sounds very arcane, but at the National Forensics' Department, the professionals use these types of machines to test for drugs and other illicit substances. Today the Department received this machine as another generous donation from the United States Embassy. Ambassador Carlos Moreno was on hand to official hand over the machine and Director Director of the National Forensic Department was on hand to receive the equipment. Henderson told us how this equipment will assist them in their criminal investigation efforts.

David Henderson, Director - National Forensic Science Service
"As you may be aware that in the past we only use to have cannabis and cocaine. But now there are several type of new drugs coming into the system, so then we must be prepared to deal with whatever substance come into the system."

Reporter
"How will this machine better assist the law enforcement authorities to better catch the criminals that are transporting and circulating these type illegal drugs?"

David Henderson
"One of the things that we will be able to do, we will be able to tell them exactly what type of drugs, the amount that is in there and whatever it might have."

Reporter
"What other use will the Forensic Department have for this machine?"

David Henderson
"Toxicology is one that the things that are coming quite often, especially in the case of poisoning, then we will be better able to assist the police department and other law enforcement. And again, I know that pharmaceutical drugs is one of the things that they always asks questions about and even with that we could tell you exactly what the contents are."

Carlos Moreno, US Ambassador
"This is an instrument that the forensic science will be able to use here. It will be heavily dependent on proper training however, of police collecting the evidence to make sure that in the first instance that evidence is not contaminated - it's collected properly. Once the evidence is evaluated, it must be presented in court. So police officers will have to know the ins and outs of not only collecting the evidence, but also providing testimony about it. Prosecutors, and I was a former prosecutors for about 4 years, so working with some of these instruments - have to know sort of the basics about how the instrument does it analysis and then also judges have to know whether or not this kind of evidence is admissible and whether the proper procedures were followed."

And while the local authorities are hopeful that the new chromatograph will boost their ability to combat the peddling of narcotics, the US is hoping that this equipment will help Belizean law enforcement in curbing the transit of drugs through Belize which end up on US soil.

Reporter
"Give us an idea of how this equipment will assist the joint efforts of both countries in combating narcotics that find themselves through this area?"

Carlos Moreno, US Ambassador
"Excellent question, because one of our missions here, is to stem the flow and the scourge of illegal narcotics that may be transiting through Belize. Our primary concern of course would be cocaine. This instrument will assist when there are interdictions of those drugs either at sea or on land - the substances can be properly analyze, and as I said the results can be presented in court in cases on criminal prosecution."

The mass spectrometer and other related equipment donated to the Forensic Service amounts to a total of 175 thousand dollars. This also includes training and maintenance for a certain period of time.