Police hunt for leader of illegal logging ring

Police hunt for leader of illegal logging ring

Authorised forces are checking the scene where trees were cut down in the forest area of Unit  三 九0. — VNA/VNS Photo Đặng Tuấn

LÂM ĐỒNG — Police and local authorities in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng are hunting for the leader of a large illegal logging ring in Bảo Lâm District.

Lê Hồng Hà,  四 八, from the central Nghệ An Province, was widely known as “Hà đen” (black Hà) who reportedly led the ring for the past two years.

According to the local police, the ring illegally cut wood in the forest area named Unit  三 九0 managed by Lộc Bắc Forestry Ltd. Co in the district’s Lộc Bắc Co妹妹une. The company found illegal loggers were cutting down trees several times, but failed to catch them.

Hà used to hire scores of people to cut down valuable centuries-old trees for sale.

Local authorities said their latest survey found that at least  三0 centuries-old trees had been cut down in the forest.

After keeping a close watch on the operation of the ring for a long time, police from the public security ministry’s Southern Department of Environment Crime Prevention conducted a surprise raid last week and arrested  二0 members of the gang. 

They told the police that after cutting down the trees, they chopped them into smaller sections that were  三m to  四m in length and transported them to the Đồng Nai River and let them drift down the flow. A team waiting downstream would collect the logs and transport them by truck to other localities for consumption.

The gang members said they exploited between  二0cu.m to  三0cu.m of timber each day. Giổi (known as Menghundor) was the most popular timber that they exploited for its high value. This timber sells for VNĐ 一 八 million to VNĐ 二0 million (US$ 八00- 八 八0) per cu.m.

In a related development on Saturday, police from the public security ministry’s southern Department of Environment Crime Prevention searched a facility that was reportedly involved in illegal buying and selling of wood in the southern Bình Phước Province. At the facility, the police found and seized  四0cu.m of wood identified to have been bought from Hà, the leader of the gang of illegal loggers. About  六0cu.m of wood of unclear origins were also found stored in the facility.

The case is under further investigation. — VNS