Five arrested for teak smuggling

04 October 2019
Five arrested for teak smuggling
Photo: Forest Department

Five people have been arrested for smuggling illegally harvested teak logs in Myanmar's Sagaing region, according to the Forest Department, Xinhua reported.

The illegal teak logs, felled from the Kapyin Lwin protected public forest in Wuntho township using state-owned elephants, were to be sent to a saw mill for smuggling purposes.

A combined team comprising forest officials searched the public forest and found 35 illegally harvested teak logs weighing 13.77 tons and 169 teak lumbers weighing 2.1 tons as well as other related equipment.

The five people were charged with smuggling and illegal logging by local police, while the saw mill owner managed to escape, the report said.