TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A man surnamed Lin (林) was apprehended by police as he attempted to poach hinoki cypress wood with a market value of NT$30,000 (US$940) from a grassy area near the Annong Creek in Yilan on Sunday (Sept. 15).

Police arrived on the scene and arrested the individual as he was loading the valuable wood. Upon searching the van, they also found various drugs, including 1.08 grams of heroin with the suspect taken into custody after brief questioning, per CNA.

Police received a tip from an individual surnamed Liao (廖) from Yilan’s Sanxing Township about a suspicious van parked in the area. Police and Liao then went to the scene to investigate where they found the 40-year-old Lin poaching wood hidden in deep grass. 

Later, police contacted the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Yilan Branch, which determined that the wood was state-owned hinoki cypress. The total volume of the wood was 0.37 cubic meters.

The suspect has been transferred to the Yilan District Prosecutor's Office in accordance with the Criminal Act and the Narcotics Harm Prevention Act.