Environmental rangers from Pursat province’s Phnum Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary are building a case against three suspects who hid illegally logged rosewood in Thma Da commune’s Sangkum Thmei village of Veal Veng district. The case will be referred to the provincial court.

Wildlife sanctuary director Phan Sophearin told The Post on June 15 that his rangers had worked with Thma Da commune and border police to seize 108 pieces of kranhuong, known by its scientific name Dalbergia cochinchinensis, and detain the suspects.

He identified the trio as Pich, 28, the owner of the house that stored the rosewood, and his wife Chib Nary, 22. The third is Vanny, 52, the father of San Vandeth. Vandeth owns the wood and is known as a military officer of the Border Guard Unit 501 at the Thma Da border checkpoint.

He continued that in late May, Vandeth had phoned Pich and asked him to store the wood in a plantation house, which the couple had left vacant, for a few days. But Pich refused as he realised the wood was illegal. But Vandeth allegedly hid the wood in the house without their knowledge.