A house in Ratanakkiri owned by a provincial deputy police chief was raided on Saturday, yielding seven cubic metres of luxury timber.

Ratanakkiri Provincial Court and Forestry Administration officials carried out the raid on the property where the deputy police chief is the landlord, but he is not suspected of any illegal involvement.

Phan Phoeun, deputy chief of the Forestry Administration, said his organisation had worked with prosecutor Chea Sopheak to seize the timber.

“The timber was seen inside the house that belongs to the provincial deputy police chief, but he is not the owner of the timber,” Phoeun said. “He had been renting out the property to other people for months.”

Police and Forestry Administration officials are searching for those responsible.

Neither Chea Sopheak nor the provincial police chief could be reached yesterday for comment.