Forestry officials in Stung Treng province arrested two people and confiscated three SUVs loaded with timber on Saturday night during a raid in Siem Pang district.

Provincial agriculture department chief Leang Seng said the cars, timber and two workers were sent to his department yesterday and the case was being processed, though he declined to reveal details about the suspects.

“We arrested two workers when the group was heading to Veun Sai district in Ratanakkiri, but others managed to flee,” he said.

In another case on Saturday, more than 400 planks of second-grade wood were confiscated in Preah Vihear’s Chheb district.

Poeng Trida, provincial agriculture department director, said the wood, hidden by local traders, was confiscated during a joint operation between military police and Forestry Administration (FA) officials.

“We discovered the illegally logged wood during a patrol and brought it to forestry office,” he said, adding that the unnamed offenders can avoid court if they pay associated fines.

In Kampong Thom’s Sandan district, meanwhile, another joint military police-FA effort saw six people arrested on Saturday after they attempted to retrieve wood confiscated by authorities on Wednesday.

We arrested six people and confiscated two trucks carrying 10 cubic metres of second-grade wood,” District Governor Long Kisoeng said yesterday.

A local news report said the wood belonged to the wife of district police chief Uong Maly, a claim he flatly denied yesterday. “She has nothing to do with it,” he said.