Latin America timber bust hailed as breakthrough on forest crime

Latin America timber bust hailed as breakthrough on forest crime
Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:43 GMT
Source: trustlaw // Megan Rowling

By Megan Rowling

LONDON (TrustLaw) - The first international INTERPOL operation to clamp down on illegal logging, which led to nearly 200 arrests and the seizure of the equivalent of 2,000 truckloads of timber in Latin America, is a breakthrough against a trade that is destroying forests and people's lives around the world, anti-corruption group Global Witness said on Wednesday.

INTERPOL, the world’s biggest international police organisation, said this week its officials had inspected and investigated vehicles, retail premises and individuals and watched ports and transport centres in 12 countries in Central and South America from September to November last year.

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"This is a major development in the fight against illegal logging, which is a much bigger global problem than most of us realise,” said Billy Kyte, forest campaigner at Global Witness, which investigates graft and conflict involving natural resources.

"Local people often get the blame, but they are usually not the real problem. Much more damage is done by big companies connected to business, political and criminal elites, who systematically skirt laws and regulations in order to destroy forests on an industrial scale," he added in a statement.

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