Police arrested 20 suspects of logging endangered sua trees at various locations in Hanoi

Another six suspected members of a gang illegally logging and trading in red-listed sua trees were taken into police custody in Hanoi after turning themselves in on Wednesday.

The other three – Nguyen Tien Nghi, Le Quang Trach and Bui Trung Hau – confessed they had helped sell the wood.

Since September 20, Hanoi police have arrested 38 suspects of the gang that is alleged to having logged trees on 32 occasions in Hanoi and adjacent provinces. The trees are listed as an endangered species in Vietnam and is also mentioned on several international lists.

The final destination of the wood cut down by the loggers is still unknown, and many other suspects are at large.

The tree’s wood can be sold for around VND1.9 million (US$106.55) per kilogram, police sources said.

Despite the ban on the wood’s trade for commercial purposes, the sua tree, also known as trac thoi or huynh dan, is felled in Vietnam for its aromatic and medicinal properties. It is believed to cure a host of diseases and is supposedly highly effective in aiding psychiatric treatment.

The sua tree, threatened by severe habitat loss, is found only in Vietnam and China.

Source: Tuoi Tre