Authorities confiscated P60,000 worth of illegal timber in a police operation in Baggao, Cagayan, following the execution of a search warrant.
The suspect, identified as Orlando Cinco, 35, was arrested for storing and selling illegal logs in his home in Barangay Bitag Grande.
Baggao Police Chief PLTCol Osmundo Mamanao reported that the raid yielded 50 pieces of round logs, amounting to 1,203 board feet of G. Melina.
The seized logs, some stored for an extended period, were found outside the suspect’s home.
Cinco presented a barangay-issued permit, but authorities found it expired and invalid under forestry laws.
Police explained that cutting privately owned trees still requires valid permits under the Presidential Decree 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.
On the same day, abandoned narra logs worth P63,000 were also recovered by authorities along a riverbank in Barangay Dabbac.
The owners of the abandoned logs remain unidentified as investigations continue.
Mamanao reminded residents of the environmental risks of illegal logging, citing recent flooding and landslides as consequences.