Pursat provincial authorities are hunting for the owner of a car found on Tuesday to be carrying almost half a tonne of Siamese rosewood towards Phnom Penh.

The car was on its way to the capital when it hit a military official’s car in Pursat town. Rather than stopping, the driver sped off, but was tracked down to a nearby village, according to Chea Bunly, a local Forestry Administration official.

“The car’s tyres had been punctured and it couldn’t move forward, but the driver had escaped,” he said. “No identification documents were found in the car.”

The evidence has been impounded and forestry officials were preparing a case to take to the provincial court, he added. Kheng Tito, the provincial military police commander, said the smuggling was only interrupted because the driver collided with a military vehicle.