Three men have been arrested for illegally felling more than 200 pine trees in the Central Highland Lam Dong Province's Bao Lam District.

More than 200 pine trees are illegally cut down in Lam Dong Province. – Photo tuoitre.vn 

The three men -- Le Viet Tuong, 40, and Quach Hai To, 42, both local men, and Truong Manh Hung, 31, from Thanh Hoa Province -- allegedly cut down 207 pine trees that were more than 30 years old on May 31.

Three more suspects involved in the crime are on the run.

The case is being investigated further.

In another case, two men were arrested for destroying the pine forest in Bao Lam District to illegally reclaim land for cultivation.

Nguyen Van Cao, 43 and Tran Van Tiep, 23 were caught while they were destroying the pine trees with herbicide in early July. 

VNS