KHON KAEN — Police on Sunday arrested two men and seized about five million baht worth of illegally cut rosewood logs from their pickup after they led them on a high-speed chase that went on for more than 100 kilometres.
The chase began at about 5.30am in Nong Rua district and ended about an hour later in Muang district after the two suspects travelling in a Nissan pickup truck registered in Phrae were pulled over for an inspection by a police patrol unit from Highway Police Station 2, Sub-Division 4. The pair were later identified as Aumporn Pennu, 39, and Kamla Inthisarn, 45.
The police initially found bags of vegetables covered with a canvas in the pickup’s cargo compartment but suspected that the men were carrying illegal items as the load appeared to be overweight, Pol Lt.Col Anand Wichsettasamit, the unit leader, said.
Driver Aumporn sped away as the police were about to check what was underneath the vegetable bags.
Pol Lt.Col Anand said five police cars, comprising one from his team and the others from highway patrol units in nearby areas, followed the suspects’ vehicle to another district where they were finally cornered. The spot was more than 100 km from where they were first stopped by the police.
Mr Aumporn only got out of his pickup and let authorities search it after he collided with another car driven by a local and saw a police checkpoint in front of him.
The search discovered 57 rosewood logs hidden in the back of the truck, each about a metre long. The logs would have been worth more than five million baht if sold abroad, Pol Lt.Col Anand said.
Mr Aumporn and Mr Kamla confessed that they were hired by a local investor for 30,000 baht to transport the logs from Chum Phae district and deliver them to a foreign buyer in Bung Kan province. They believed the logs might have been cut from rosewood trees in a national park in Khon Kaen.
Pol Lt.Col Anand said the suspects had given the names of the hirer and foreign buyer and police would investigate further to arrest all people involved in the gang.
Photos by Jakkrapan Nathanri
