The authorities of Misiones carried out a operating de forest control in PiƱalito Provincial Park with the aim of advancing an investigation into the possible unauthorized extraction of a protected species and strengthening surveillance of the transportation of native wood.
According to official sources, the intervention within the protected area was of a technical nature and field verification, in parallel with road controls that culminated in the detention of a truck that was traveling without the documentation required by current forestry regulations.
Operation and findings in the protected area
A team from the Forest Control Directorate of the Ministry of Ecology and the Environmental Defense and Rural Crimes Division of the Misiones Police resumed a file initiated in January, carrying out verification tasks within the boundaries of PiƱalito Provincial Park.
With GPS coordinates Obtained in a previous intervention, the technicians located the stem of a specimen of "black parrot" (a protected native species) extracted within the protected area, and confirmed its correspondence with a trunk sample previously collected at a sawmill, within the framework of the ongoing administrative file.
The diligence included photographic records and georeferencing of the site, in order to consolidate traceability evidence and strengthen expert follow-up. The authorities emphasized that the work on the mountain was for verification purposes: It was not a new demolition, but rather the confirmation of a previous extraction already under investigation.
Interception of a truck with undocumented wood
Hours later, at the intersection of the National Route 14 and Provincial Route 27, a Ford 350 truck driven by a 24-year-old man was intercepted, transporting sawn native wood without the forestry guide or enabling papers.
After instructing the driver to go to the First Police Station of San Pedro, the material was measured, the minutes were drawn up and leave the vehicle with the load in the municipal corral, leaving everything at the disposal of Justice.
- Retention of a Ford 350 truck with unguided native wood.
- Seizure of a Stihl 170 cc chainsaw.
- Measurement of material and preparation of reports at police headquarters.
- Seizure of cargo and vehicles for safekeeping judicial.
Legal framework and territorial scope
The procedures are part of the intensive plan forest control that the province deploys to prevent deforestation, combat illegal trafficking of species and protect the Misiones forest through forest regeneration, based on the Provincial Forest Law No. 854.
The actions were deployed in the PiƱalito Provincial Park and in the PiƱalito Sur sector (San Vicente), with derivations in San Pedro, reinforcing the presence of mixed teams of the Ministry of Ecology and the Misiones Police at strategic points in the area.
In addition to the expert reports, the authorities insisted on the need for citizen collaboration to raise awareness about suspicious situations and not to acquire wood without the required documentation, a key practice to stop illicit trade chains and protect the biodiversity.
Upcoming actions and status of the case
As part of the continuity of the operation, the team verified in the kidnapping ground from the First Police Station the machinery transferred from Tobuna and made a new verification in the sawmill linked to the trunk sample, consolidating the chain of custody.
The administrative file and judicial proceedings will continue with the evidence already gathered, including georeferencing, photographs and material measurements, while controls are maintained on routes to detect possible violations.
The combination of expertise in the protected area, verification in sawmills and road controls aims to closing the evidentiary circle and discourage new extractions, with a focus on protected native species and strict compliance with the forestry guide.
With the investigation underway and the kidnappings carried out, the provincial authorities reinforce the message Zero tolerance for illegal logging and transportation: Surveillance will continue in PiƱalito and the surrounding area, pending administrative and judicial decisions based on the evidence gathered.
