have claimed.

The allegation came during yesterday's march on the Government by members of the Bermuda Public Services Association to protest about cramped facilities at the airport.

Two senior officers said understaffing meant thorough checks of visitors for duties and drugs were impossible.

One told The Royal Gazette : "Sometimes there are only seven officers at the airport when there should be 14. We have to let people straight through. But we are the first line against drugs.

"If there are only two male officers searching, then women can get straight through because men aren't allowed to search them.

"It's easy to get drugs through. There are drugs on every street corner -- you figure it out. I go to places where they laugh at me saying `I got this through, I got that through'.'' And he said more staff should be deployed on cruise ships during the summer months because it was a popular channel for the drugs barons.

He said: "They put one inexperienced, untrained staff member on the night watch on cruise ships, but you can get a 1,000 people coming off each ship at night. They come down the gangway in groups so you can't search them all.'' The Customs officer also said the country was losing thousands of dollars every day because Customs did not have the staff to collect all the duties owed.

He said: "We now just have to hope people are being honest. We have 300 people going through every hour. We can't collect it all. People are defrauding this country.'' The source also claimed understaffing led to people waiting two and a half hours to pay duties.

However, Collector of Customs Bill LeDrew denied this as well as the claim that the department was understaffed. He pointed out that all 146 posts were filled.

He said: "But everyone can argue they need more resources.'' He admitted holiday backlog was causing serious problems in the department.

Customs officers complain of staff shortage He said some staff were owed several months holiday -- staff have been told to take 60 percent of accrued vacation by the end of the year or lose it.

Staff are now working overtime and on their days off to cope with a busy period at the airport with Bermudians flying abroad for shopping trips.

Mr. LeDrew admitted owed vacation would be a problem next year.

He said: "But over a period of time we will bring it into check.'' However, he denied Bermuda was losing the fight against drugs as well as haemorrhaging cash on imports.

He said: "We will collect more cash than last year. Our target is to collect $164.6 million this financial year and we are well on the way to doing that.

"Do we get every cent owed? Probably no. But are we losing a significant amount of money because we are understaffed? No.

"And the street value of drugs seized this year is more than $12 million compared to more than $6 million last year although the number of seizures is down.'' Mr. LeDrew met with the BPSA and the Government immediately after yesterday's march which BPSA leader Ed Ball Jr. said had been attended by 73 officers.

Mr. Ball said: "That was a turn out of more than 50 percent while others stayed at work to ensure Customs could still function.'' And there was no disruption to traffic as marchers stuck to the Front Street sidewalk as they sung "We Shall Not Be Moved'' on their way to meet acting Finance Minister Alex Scott.

On the steps of the Government Administration building, Mr. Scott repeated his frustration that the union had chose to march to make a political point when the Government had always been willing to meet with them anyway.

However, Mr. Ball said dissatisfaction over cramped unsuitable facilities at the airport had been going on for ten years.

He said: "These issues need to be addressed. Apartheid would not have gone without a march, segregation would not have gone without a march.

"We don't want a gentleman's agreement and the issue to be just shelved.

Although I do accept the PLP, LeDrew and new BPSA team inherited this problem.'' Mr. Ball admitted one of the purposes of the march was to improve low morale at the airport.