BINTULU: The Sarawak Forestry Department (SFD) successfully thwarted an attempt to steal logs from Similajau Forest Reserve last Saturday.
Its director Datuk Hamden Mohammad said the Bintulu Regional Forest enforcement team seized a dump truck carrying 50 short logs of various sizes early in the morning.
The logs estimated to be 12 cubic metres in size are worth RM1,560 in collection, tax, royalty and cess fees.
“The enforcement team also arrested a local man who was the truck driver while an investigation related to the arrest has been opened. It is also believed that the logs were meant for nearby factories for processing,” he said in a statement.
Hamden pointed out that the illegal activity was detected earlier by the SFD Air Squad using its latest technology – continuous monitoring and surveillance (COSMOS) – which transmitted its findings to the enforcement team at Bintulu Regional Forest Office.
Illegal logging, especially in water catchment areas, is a serious offence under the provisions of the Forest Ordinance 2015. An offender can be fined up to five times the value of the seizure.
