KOTA BARU: Two Cambodians were arrested under suspicion of stealing sandalwood from the Sungai Rek forest reserve in Kuala Krai recently.
The duo, a 50-year-old man and his 27-year-old son, were detained in Ops Khazanah which was carried out on Monday, said state Forestry Department director Abdul Khalim Abu Samah.
He said the department had deployed a team to the forest reserve after receiving a tip-off on illegal activities taking place in the area.
"They later found two foreign men who had entered the reserve without any documents.
"Checks by the team showed that they were carrying sandalwood, which had been processed and stuffed into plastic bags.
"They also discovered several equipment such as parang, axes and a torchlight, believed to be used for their activity," he said in a statement today.
Abdul Khalim said initial investigation showed that this was not the first time the duo were involved in the activity.
He said the total seizure amounted to RM80,000.
The men are now being detained at the Batu Jong Prison while awaiting trial.
"The two are expected to be charged with four offences. These include encroaching and conducting activities in the state's forest reserve and possession of forest products without approval.
"We expect the case to be brought to court on April 4," he said. - NST
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.