All of the seizures, which included the prized teak and Padauk woods as well as other species native to Myanmar, did not have official forestry department seals.

Current market prices show that a tonne of teak is valued at about K4 million while a tonne of Padauk is valued at about K4.5 million.

U Thein Toe, director of Yangon Forest Department, said since the military began intensifying their surveillance of illegal logging activities in border areas, smugglers have begun using trucks to ply the roads in Yangon.