Police and forestry officials on Wednesday confiscated over 100 cubic meters of semi-finished luxury-grade wood hidden in a forest in Mondolkiri province.
Logging of luxury wood is banned in Cambodia without specific authorization from the Forestry Administration.
Nhem Vanny, the provincial police chief, said that the local head of the logging company escaped after he learned that forestry officials discovered the cache of around 600 massive logs to local police.
Brigadier General Vanny said that this has been the biggest seizure of illegal wood in the province during the current dry season. He said the timber is now under police guard.
“I sent my policemen from O’Reang district to guard this huge amount of luxury wood,” the police chief said.
Khut Sopheang, chief prosecutor of the provincial court, said that his investigators are trying to determine the identities of the logging company owner and employees.
