Fraudsters Exposed

The Monitoring Team of the Forestry Services Division has uncovered a new and cunning method that has been adopted by chain saw operators to outwit the team and cart timber from the forest areas to the market.

Under the new method, the illegal timber dealers load the beams into containers, seal them and mark them, “For Export”, in order to avoid detection. Others pack the timber into trucks and thereafter neatly load firewood on them with the intention of concealing them from the eagle eyes of the monitoring team. However, over the past two days, the team has broken the lid on the evil scheme and succeeded in arresting two vehicles involved in the illegal trade.

Though the driver of one of the vehicles escaped when the truck was stopped, the other was arrested and is in custody at the Tesano Police Station in Accra. One of the vehicles, an articulated truck with registration number GT 2389 H, was carrying two containers full of timber and sealed as if they were for export. Another truck with registration number GR 2446 J was loaded with the timber and covered with firewood.

According to Mr John Ocansey, Assistant Regional Manager of the Forestry Services Division of the Forestry Commission, the vehicle with the firewood was intercepted on the Winneba-Kasoa road on Wednesday by members of the monitoring team, who became suspicious of the way the vehicle was loaded and on close examination detected some of the timber from the sides.

Mr Ocansey said when the driver was stopped, he escaped but the vehicle was driven to the Regional Forestry Office. He said an articulated truck was spotted at Mile 11 yesterday with the two heavy containers.