NONG KHAI, Sept 19 (TNA) – Thai authorities have busted a large-scale international smuggling ring, seizing a warehouse filled with protected Burma Padauk or Burmese rosewood and exposing a multi-million-dollar timber trade. The raid is part of a larger crackdown that could implicate local politicians.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, in collaboration with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), announced the bust of a major smuggling operation in Nong Khai province. The warehouse contained illegally logged Burmese rosewood, a highly sought-after hardwood, cut from protected forests in Northern Thailand.
According to a DSI investigation that began in July, the operation has smuggled more than 1.2 billion baht (approximately $37 million USD) worth of illicit timber since early 2023. Authorities seized 370 logs weighing approximately 28,000 kilograms with an estimated local market value of 14 million baht ($439,000).
At the scene, officials arrested two Thai nationals who worked as shipping agents and brokers to coordinate with loggers in the north, along with five Laotian nationals who were loading timber onto trucks. The Vietnamese owner of the warehouse reportedly fled just 10 minutes before the authorities arrived.
The investigation revealed two main smuggling routes. One involved ten-wheel trucks transporting the timber overland to Laos and then on to Vietnam. The other used container trucks to ship the wood via Laem Chabang Port, destined for China.
Authorities said the foreign financiers behind the operation provided funding to logging groups in Northern Thailand, hiring local villagers to cut down Burmese rosewood trees in protected and conserved forests. The operation was allegedly facilitated by corrupt government officials.
The seized Burmese rosewood originated from Chiang Mai and Tak provinces. Officials are now focusing on two key brokers in the north, one of whom is a former local politician in Chiang Mai, as they work to expand the investigation. -819 (TNA)
