Report: Canadian military gear missing

OTTAWA, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Rocks and sand were swapped for military equipment being shipped back to Canada from the war in Afghanistan, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.

No munitions were reported to have been involved in the apparent pilfering, the network said.

Citing sources, the CBC said the military gear was discovered missing when the shipping containers were opened upon arrival in Canada. Instead of military equipment, all that was inside were rocks and sand equal in weight to the missing items, the sources said.

The Department of National Defense confirmed the equipment, which a spokesman described as "non-critical," was gone and an investigation was under way, the CBC said.

"There were no munitions of any kind in any of the containers being shipped back to Canada by sea on this route," Lt. Cmdr. John Nethercott said. "All munitions have already been received in Canada via strategic air and sealift.

"Equipment in these containers would consist of items such as tires, tools and tents."

No uniforms were reported missing.

The shipping was done under contract with a Montreal company, A.J. Maritime, after the Canadian base in Kandahar was closed in November.

Company President Alda Rodrigues said thefts have been a problem.

"The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is volatile," she said. "Pilfering is occurring, but Canada is not alone. All NATO countries have a pilfering problem with their containers. No one knows where the pilfering is occurring."

The CBC said it wasn't clear how many of the 182 shipping containers transported from Afghanistan to Canada so far were compromised. The network said the military's property loss or damages for the 2010-11 was expected to total $4.7 million but it wasn't known how much was due to theft.