About 230 kg of red sandalwood worth around Rs 3 lakh was seized from Punika in Gajapati district, officials said today.
The seizure was made when it was being transported to Kerala via Andhra Pradesh in a car late on Monday night, divisional forest officer (DFO), Paralakhemundi, R K Singh, said.
Two smugglers, including the driver, fled in another vehicle that is suspected to be escorting them, forester (Mahendra range) Prakash Chandra Bisoi, who was part of the raid party, said.
"We have intimated the forest officers in Andhra Pradesh and raids are on to nab the driver of the vehicle," the DFO said.
There is a huge demand for red sandalwood, an endangered species, in the international market, particularly China.
It is used for preparing medicines, handicrafts items, furniture and perfume. Trade in red sandalwood is prohibited by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, forest officers said.
There are a large number of red sandalwood trees in Gajapati district, particularly in Garabandh forests along Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. Smugglers from Andhra Pradesh often engage in such activities, Bisoi added.
