Five suspected Vietnamese poachers have been arrested with almost 80kg of prized aloeswood in Phrae province early Wednesday, a senior national park official said.
A joint team of officials from the Wiangkosai national park in Wang Chin of Phrae province and Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Bureau police stopped to search a suspicious pickup truck in tambon Boleklong in Phrae's Long district about 2am today.
However, the driver refused to stop and accelerated, prompting officers to give chase. Five people jumped from the vehicle and ran into a roadside forest. They were seen carrying three large sacks. The officers followed and managed to arrest the five men.
All suspects held Vietnamese passports. They were identified as Bui Ngoc Anh, 25; Doan Quang Thinh, 38; Pham Van Huan, 35; Doan Duc Lua, 31; and Doan Van Vung, 46. Seized from them were 76kg of aloewood called krissana in Thai.
The driver managed to flee, Botmaklon Srisuwan, chief of the Wiangkosai national park, said.
The arrest followed a tip that a gang of Vietnamese poachers planned to smuggle aloewood from the national park, he said.
All suspects confessed they illegally entered the country via border areas in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai. The seized wood, highly valued for its fragrance, was destined for Vietnam.
The suspects were handed over to Long police for further action. A hunt has been launched to arrest the driver, believed to be a Thai national, said Mr Botmaklon.