46 Accused of Illegal Logging in Rain Forest
Police arrested 46 people, including 16 agents of the federal environmental protection agency, suspected of illegal logging in the Amazon rain forest and southern Brazil, the Environment Ministry said.
The suspects, arrested in four states, are accused of selling an estimated 32 million cubic feet of illegally logged hardwoods worth an estimated $25 million, the ministry said in a statement.
The federal agents are accused of selling permits that allowed loggers to cut down and transport trees in violation of environmental laws. Other suspects include loggers and lobbyists, the ministry said.
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