Three males attempting to smuggle luxury wood on Saturday evening were thwarted by authorities in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima district, provincial forestry officials confirmed yesterday.

The suspects now being detained at the provincial police station are Vor Vanser, 16, Le Fy, 16, and Cheurng Vanseurn, 18.

All three of the suspects hail from O’Raing’s Dak Dam district said Sak Sarang, a provincial military officer who alleges all three are Vietnamese citizens.

“We sent them to the forestry administration office, which is expected to deal with the case. But the Vietnamese suspects might be sent to the police [station] since they have an immigration office,” Sarang said, noting the amount of luxury wood seized was unconfirmed.

Nhem Vanny, the provincial police chief, said yesterday the suspects were arrested by military police but had yet to be taken to the local police station.

“The suspects may still be at the provincial forestry office since they might not have filled out documents [detailing the arrest],” Vanny said.