Police in Ratanakkiri province Thursday’stopped a bus and arrested two Vietnamese men—the driver and a bus company employee—who were attempting to transport about 300 kg of luxury-grade timber across the border to Vietnam, officials said.
Authorities stopped the bus, which had a Vietnamese license plate, at about 9 a.m. along National Road 78 in Bakeo district’s Ting Chak commune, said Noeu Dara, chief of the provincial police’s economic crimes bureau.
“We stopped the bus for inspection and we found many small pieces of Thnong wood that were hidden under the seats,” Mr. Dara said, adding that police were tipped off by an anonymous source.
He said his authorities did not know which border checkpoint the bus driver was planning to cross at.
The two suspects, bus and wood were turned over to officials at the local Forestry Administration cantonment, Mr. Dara said.
“We are now drafting a document to send the pair to court,” said Kep Koth, head of the cantonment.
The suspects would be sent to court on Saturday, he said.
