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BBC MUNDO RADIO
By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News
Taranaki's community rescue helicopter trust remains out of pocket after buying night vision goggles that turned out to be stolen.
The trust is now the only one in New Zealand without night vision equipment.
It was forced to hand over two sets of night vision goggles, worth $34,000, to New Plymouth Customs in September 2007 after it was discovered they were stolen from the United States Air Force.
Trust chairman Mark Masters confirmed the trust had received compensation for the cost of the goggles it had to hand over but would not say how much.
"It was nothing like what we had expected," he said.
The trust was investigating buying new sets of goggles.
The helicopter has to be specially set up to be able to use the equipment and it was not as easy as going out and buying a pair of binoculars, he said.
The trust had applied to the Minister of Customs for the forfeiture to be waived but the application was declined.
The trust had been unwittingly caught up in a US military investigation when it emerged that 12 pairs of goggles, which were being used in New Zealand, were stolen.
US Air Force Sergeant Allen Schenk, 26, was sentenced to almost 20 years' imprisonment for the theft and other charges.
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