Some of the illegally felled bakau poles found by the roadside at Jalan Sg Awat-Awat in Lawas on Sunday.
KUCHING: A weekend outing to conduct a conservation programme bore unexpected results for a team of Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) officers.
They stumbled upon 529 bakau poles stacked in five piles by the roadside at Jalan Sg Awat-Awat in Lawas on Sunday.
SFC, in a statement yesterday, said the poles were readily determined as illegal as no licence or permit had been issued to extract bakau poles in Lawas at this time.
“There had been rumours of illegal harvesting of bakau in the area a few months ago, but to date, our enforcement team had not been able to catch the culprits nor found any of the loot.
“Although we managed to seize 529 bakau poles, we shall continue to be vigilant, hoping eventually to nab the offenders.”
A report has been lodged at Sundar Police Station, and the case will be handed over to the Sarawak Forest Department.