A week ago we told you about the 47 year old Guinea Grass resident who had to pay a fine of over $22,000 for illegally harvesting Mahogany logs. Well if that penalty isn't steep enough for you, it can go significantly higher depending on the bust. That's reflected in the new amendment to the Forestry Act. In a release it states "With the logging season swiftly approaching, the Forest Department wishes to remind the public that any person found engaging in illegal logging will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." The Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries today gave us an idea of just how hefty the fine for offenders can be.
Hon. Omar Figueroa
"That SI was signed earlier this year, I think it was in January or February and I think we just caught some folks with logs and they were fined pretty hefty. I think it was about $22,000.00 for Mahogany that's been out of season of course."
Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"Could you give any specifics, in terms of what that amendment entails going forward?"
Hon. Omar Figueroa
"That amendment is set. Its legislation. It's part of the law now. So the penalties now scale proportionately to the magnitude of the crime. So if you are caught with some valuable hardwoods like Mahogany or Rosewood, I mean you will be penalize a little heavier than if you are caught with logwood that are not as scarce, not as rare."
Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"What's the penalty rate like if you are caught?"
Hon. Omar Figueroa
"I don't recall the details of the penalty, but it's proportional to the magnitude of the crime. So at first it was across the board - if you were caught with a stock of Mahogany and you were charged I think $1,000. I think that was the maximum fine we were able to charge last year when we made the bust with Rosewood about 37,000 board feet of Rosewood. We were only able to charge $1,000. If that same bust would happen today 37,000 board feet, I think the penalty would range somewhere around $700,000.00. But this year we are seeing that illegal logging has greatly reduced and we need these kinds of penalties to ensure the sustainability of the logging industry which our country was actually built on - this timber industry and I believe that we can actually benefit far more than we have been benefitting from these resources. It just comes down to how we manage the timber industry."
The release ends by saying that "loggers are advised to submit their applications before the deadline 30th November 2017. Following this date, the Department reserves the right to refuse any late applications."
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