Special task force of the Royal Forest Department (RFD) and police on Friday (April 6) sezied a large number of timber smuggled from the North to Samut Prakan province for export.


The seizure followed raids at three sawmills in Ayutthaya province on Thursday when authorities found some timber, suspected to be illegal, hidden at the premises. Interrogation of the illegal logging gang members found that more timber would be transported from the North to Samut Prakan province before being shipped out of the country.


The RFD’s Phayak Prai Task Force and police followed the gang’s container truck loaded with smuggled timber from Nan to Samut Prakan province where the timber would be shipped out of the country.


Authorities then showed up and asked for a search which found large amount of protected Chin Chan rosewood and Pradu logs worth about 15 million baht inside the container.


Commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 5 Pol Lt Gen Poonsap Prasertsak and the deputy director-general of the Royal Forest Department Attapol Charoenchansa later ordered police and forestry officials to investigate the timber smuggling network and find all those who are relevant for legal punishment.


Illegal timber worth B15m seized before being smuggled out of country - Thai PBS English News