After a nearly five-month investigation and two raids, authorities in Thailand have confiscated about $4 million in teak wood that they believe was illegally smuggled into Thailand from neighboring Myanmar (Burma). The wood-nearly 3,000 teak logs valued at about $1.6 million, and 78,000 teak planks worth about $2.4 million-was confiscated from Suksawad Plywood Co. in Nonthaburi, near the port city Bangkok in southern Thailand; the company is a lumber wholesaler and wood flooring manufacturer. Allegedly, Suskawad Plywood Co.'s parent company, Suskawad Group Co., received the wood from supplier Anton Co. Thailand's Department of Special Investigations, which is handling the investigation, believes Anton Co. smuggled the teak by falsifying customs documents. Executives from Suskawad Plywood Co. have said they believed the wood was purchased from legal sources.
Sources: Woodworking Network and Bangkok Post.
