Cops seize illegal lumber in Quezon

LUCENA CITY—Police on Saturday seized several sawn lumbers from illegally cut narra tree in Padre Burgos town in Quezon province, police said Sunday.

Senior Supt. Rhoderick Armamento, Quezon police provincial director, said patrolling policemen intercepted an Isuzu Elf truck loaded with 50 pieces of sawn narra lumber of assorted sizes in Barangay (village) Burgos around 4 a.m.

The truck driver Georlito Sarico and his helper Ricardo Marcelo failed to produce the required cutting/hauling/transport permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the confiscated forest products worth P72,000.

Later in the afternoon, Padre Burgos motorcycle cops also intercepted two tricycles both loaded with a total of 21 pieces of sawn narra lumber in Barangay San Vicente. The forest products also lacked the required documents from the DENR, police said.

The two tricycle drivers pointed to one Salvador Lazo, a village councilman in Barangay Cabuyao Norte, as the alleged owner of the illegal lumbers.

All suspects were detained in Padre Burgos police jail while the vehicles and the hot lumbers were transferred to the DENR office for proper disposition.

In Sariaya town, a team from the Quezon Police Public Safety Company also seized an estimated 5,000 board feet of assorted sawn lumbers from different hardwood species in Barangay Sto. Cristo around 4 p.m.

Police said suspect Stephen Gano escaped before the arrival of the authorities. RAM/rga

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