A man and his two parents were arrested at the beginning of March for illegal felling of trees and theft of wood in Yvelines, destined for the international market, the gendarmerie said on Monday in a press release.
These illegal fellings, carried out since the beginning of 2021 in
“classified wooded areas”
in the town of Septeuil, around sixty kilometers west of Paris, mainly targeted large oak trees, said the same source.
The harvested wood was exported to the international market, particularly to China.
The case began in 2022 when environmental protection associations reported the practices of a logging company based in Limay, a commune neighboring Mantes-la-Jolie, about 50 km to the west from Paris.
The investigation carried out by the community of brigades of Septeuil revealed the fraudulent actions of this company: false declarations to justify the cuts, exceeding the authorized harvesting rates, theft of trees on undeclared plots and without authorization. owners.
Money transfers of around 100,000 euros from China to Turkey
The amount of damage was estimated at 160,000 euros by the National Forestry Office (manager of public forests).
The son, salesman of the company but
"de facto manager"
according to the gendarmes, his mother, de jure manager, and his father, known for infractions of the legislation of natural spaces and on employment, and for violation of the dignity of persons, were placed in police custody on March 6.
During the searches, the gendarmes discovered documents reporting money transfers of around 100,000 euros from China to Turkey, where the accused come from.
Two properties worth almost 150,000 euros were seized, as well as 27,000 euros in cash and 14,000 euros in the company's accounts.
At the end of police custody, the son was presented to a judge on March 7.
He was placed under judicial supervision and must be tried soon.