Pursat provincial police on Friday seized 10 cars, each containing one cubic meter of illegally harvested luxury wood, officials said Sunday.
Around 1 am, a convoy of Toyota Camrys traveling in the direction of Phnom Penh approached police, who were lying in wait in the province’s Krakor district, according to Hen Vuthea, Pursat provincial police chief.
The drivers tried to escape, but police shot the tires of one car, stopped it, arrested its two occupants and seized its cargo, he said.
The drivers of the other cars sped away, but soon abandoned their vehicles, which were seized along with their cargoes of wood, Hen Vuthea said.
“This was not the first time they were carrying this timber to Phnom Penh,” he said. “They had been doing this for a long time, using Camrys to transport it.”
“The two men confessed they were hired by businessmen to bring [the wood] to Phnom Penh but would not say who they are,” Hen Vuthea said.
“Officials are involved in the case. If they didn’t have support from them, this timber could not be transported on the road,” he added. The two suspects were sent to court on Saturday.
Pursat Provincial Court Prosecutor Kong Bin said Sunday that the men were being held in Pursat prison and charged with illegally trading in timber.
Dozens of accidents along Krakor district roads leading to National Route 5 and Phnom Penh had intrigued police, Pursat provincial Governor Chhay Sareth said.
“We wondered why when there’s an accident, the cars always have wood in them,” he explained.
“So I ordered an investigation,” he said. “We took our time before confiscating [the wood] and arresting them.”
“Forestry officials are trying to stop logging and timber transportation. But they don’t do it and they can’t do it, so we have to do it,” he added.