Police in the central province of Nghe An are investigating the chief forest ranger of a district for alleged involvement in a timber smuggling case, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported Saturday.

At around 6 p.m. on Friday police officers in Do Luong District stopped a small truck carrying timber.

Truck driver Nguyen Duc Thuan, 32, failed to produce papers to prove the origin of the timber batch.

Police then found that Thai Ngo Cuong, 48, chief of Forest Management Department of the mountainous district of Quy Chau, was inside the truck.

The truck and the timber has been seized.

Police said Cuong was  bringing the timber from Quy Chau to his hometown Do Luong District.