Santiago court’s 2-year jail term for wood trafficking is toughest yet

Santiago.- The Santiago District three panel Court sentenced Jovanny Antonio Torres Genao to two years in prison and pay a fine of 20 minimum wages, for conviction on trafficking in precious wood.

Genao was caught dealing 50 mahogany logs totaling 800 feet in the community of Inoa, San Jose de Las Matas (central) on January 15, 2011, said Jacinto Mejia, head of the Santiago Office of the Environment Prosecutor.

In the statement, Mejia lauded the ruling as the first major sentence for a crime against the environment, which in his view sends a message to society.

Amaro noted that the timbering, trafficking or transport of mahogany logs or any other variety causes serious damage to the environment.