Nghe An discovers truck with 4.5 tons of rosewood and pangolin scales
(Baonghean.vn)- The police discovered a homemade storage room under the trailer, inside the room were many pieces of wood (suspected rosewood) and animal scales (suspected pangolin scales), the total value of the shipment was about more than 10 billion VND.
On August 23, 2023, the Economic Police Department of Nghe An Provincial Police coordinated with related units to arrest a case of transporting more than 4.5 tons ofillegal forest productsworth about more than 10 billion VND including nearly 2.1 tons of wood (suspected rosewood) and more than 2.5 tons of animal scales (suspected pangolin scales).
Through the work of grasping the situation and using professional measures, the Economic Police Department of the Provincial Police coordinated with the Traffic Police Team of the Hung Nguyen District Police to stop and check the vehicle with license plate 37H-020.47 pulling trailer 38R-013.65 in the area of provincial road 542C, Hung Thong commune, Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province.
The driver of the car was Le Van Sang (born in 1986), residing in Thanh Dong 3 village, Thanh Dong commune, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province. Also traveling in the car was Pham Dinh Hieu, (born in 2004), residing in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province.
During the inspection, the police discovered a homemade bunker under the trailer, camouflaged with metal plates on the floor of the truck with screws. Inside the bunker were 29 logs (suspected rosewood) weighing approximately 2,095 kg and 63 sacks containing animal scales (suspected pangolin scales) weighing approximately 2,534.5 kg. The total value of the shipment was approximately over VND10 billion.
At the time of inspection, Le Van Sang and Pham Dinh Hieu could not present documents related to the wood and sacks. Through the investigation, the subjects confessed that the above shipment was rosewood and pangolin scales transported by Sang and Hieu from Laos to Vietnam through Cau Treo border gate, Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province. While on the way to Nghe An for sale, they were discovered and arrested by Nghe An provincial police.
Currently, the Economic Police Department of Nghe An Provincial Police is expanding the investigation of the case, and coordinating with relevant units to handle the subjects in accordance with the provisions of law.
