A pine tree chopped down to plant avocado. — VNA/VNS Photo Đặng Tuấn

LÂM ĐỒNG — Central Highlands Lâm Đồng Province’s Đà Lạt City Police on Monday seized three loggers involved in cutting down pine trees in 151A sub-area, District 12, the Vietnam News Agency reported. 

At 8pm on Sunday, the loggers were found cutting pine trees. After being chased by officers, they left a chainsaw at the scene.

At 2am on Monday, when sneaking back to take the equipment, one of the suspects was arrested. The other two were later arrested by Đà Lạt City Police.

According to the loggers’ initial testimony, they were hired by 52-year-old Vũ Thị Phước in District 12, Đà Lạt City who owns a farm next to the pine forest.

Phước admitted that she planned to have some 1,000sq.m of forest cut down to expand her farm.

At the scene, holes and avocado trees were found along with eight felled pine trees.

Since May, Lâm Đồng Province has reported several cases of forest destruction in different localities.

In August, six people were suspected of poisoning nearly 6,500sq.m of 30-year-old pine trees in Lộc Ngãi Commune, Bảo Lâm District, in order to encroach upon the forestry land. The suspects were arrested.

Bạch Đình Kế, 37, the alleged mastermind behind another poisoning case of some 3,500 pine trees in Tân Thanh Commune was also seized by the provincial police in June.

In early October, a joint investigation between police and officials has been carried out into the destruction of a pine forest in Lâm Hà District in response to hundreds of pine trees cut down to take over forestry land for a coffee plantation in Nam Hà Commune. — VNS