Furniture from a protected species in the port of Gdynia

A container with… Furniture was stopped in the port of Gdynia. It turned out that the species of wood from which they are made is protected.

The illegal goods, which arrived from India, were selected for control by officers from the Pomeranian Customs and Excise Office in Gdynia. Suspicions were aroused by the species of wood which could be subject to the provisions of the Washington Convention (CITES).

As it turned out, the uniformed officers’ suspicions were correct, as as a result of the control activities undertaken, it was established that 14 out of 15 assortments of goods contained elements made of wood of the Dalbergia sissoo species, which is listed in Annex II to the Washington Convention CITES. The declaration was not accompanied by the relevant permits, so 355 pieces of furniture were seized.

Buying goods made from protected animals and plants (covered by the Washington Convention) is not only playing a part in their suffering and the extinction of entire species. It is also a criminal offence, punishable by a hefty fine, imprisonment from three months to five years, and loss of the specimen.

Source: PortalMorski.p