A crackdown on illegal logging in Mondulkiri has yielded more than 50 cubic metres of luxury wood found submerged in a canal and stashed throughout the forest.

Military officers and border police operating on a tip-off discovered the cache during a joint patrol in Koh Nhek district that started on Thursday and lasted through to Saturday, Sou Vuthy, a provincial deputy prosecutor, said.

“The timber is in the process of being counted, but we estimate it’s over 50 cubic metres,” Vuthy said, adding that despite the canal crossing into Vietnam, he was unable to confirm if the timber was destined for the bordering country.

Provincial forestry administration officers are harbouring the timber in the local forestry administration office and searching for those responsible.

Keb Kort, Mondulkiri’s provincial forestry administration director, claimed he was unaware of the crackdown as he was busy attending a meeting in the capital.