In April, 353 containers of illegally logged rare timber confiscated by the West African country of Gabon went missing. On May 14, Gabon announced it had located 200 of the containers and detained two Chinese nationals, Reuters reports.
Seventy-one of the containers were found on the port of a Cameroon-registered transport company named SOTRASGAB, and 129 were found on the property of a company named Owendo Container Terminal, according to the report.
The containers were originally seized in transport in late February. They contained illegally logged kevazingo wood worth an estimated $250 million. Kevazingo is also known by the names African rosewood, amazique, bubinga and ovangkol.
The kevazingo tree can take 500 years to grow to its full height and is protected under Gabon law.
The discovery of the missing containers followed on the heels of an announcement by Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba that those responsible for the missing timber would be punished.
