Traders in protected timber arrested

Traders in protected timber arrested

Gang caught with illegally harvested siamese rosewood

Fifteen men, including a former military ranger, have been arrested and charged with illegal dealing in protected <i>phayung</i> timber(siamese rosewood) worth nearly one million baht in Nakhon Ratchasima on Monday, police said.

Fifteen accused traders in illegal timber are paraded at a police press conference in Nakhon Ratchasima on Tuesday.

Wiwek Yuekrathok and the 14 other suspects were on Tuesday taken to a police press conference in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

They were found with five phayung logs, each about two metres long, 30 processed phayung planks and two pickup trucks used for carrying the wood.

The arrest of the suspects came after police received information that a wood trader had hired local residents to illegally cut phayung trees in tambon Non Somboon in Soeng Sang district. 

A police officer then posed as a customer buying timber worth 300,000 baht, and he asked the gang to deliver the wood to Dan Malakor village in Soeng Sang district on Monday. When the suspects arrived with the phayung wood in two-pickup trucks, police showed up to arrest them.

Mr Wiwek allegedly confessed, saying he used to be a military ranger in the Northeast. As he had neither land to plant nor a job to earn a living, he decided to work for a wood smuggling gang. His job was to recruit local residents to transport illegally cut logs to specified locations. He received 10% of the amount received for the sale of wood, and the others were paid 500-1,000 baht for transporting the timber.

Mr Wiwek said he had taken part in five illegal sales  and received 30,000-100,000 baht each time.

All suspects were detained for further legal action.

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