In Santo Tomás Ajusco, Tlalpan borough in Mexico City, an illegal sawmill was dismantled, where wood, equipment, and a truck used by illegal loggers who fled the site were confiscated. The operation, carried out between the night of October 25 and the early morning of October 26, involved the participation of 108 people from various federal and local security institutions.
According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa), the sawmill was discovered thanks to a citizen complaint and the use of a drone from the Commission of Natural Resources and Rural Development (Corenadr), where illegal wood and sawmill machinery were stored. Upon noticing the arrival of the authorities, the loggers fled.
Among the confiscated items were found 90 oyamel poles, 19 pine logs, sawmill machinery, and a 3.5-ton truck. Everything was transferred to the general direction of Corenadr in the Xochimilco borough for the corresponding legal procedures.
Profepa highlighted that illegal logging poses a threat to the Ajusco-Chichinautzin Biological Corridor, national parks such as Tepozteco and Lagunas de Zempoala, and their surrounding areas.
Regarding penalties for illegally cutting down trees, the Criminal Code of Mexico City prescribes sentences of three months to five years in prison and fines of 500 to 2000 days for damaging trees. These penalties double if the crime is committed in protected areas, areas of environmental value, conservation, ravines, or urban green spaces. Additionally, up to nine years in prison and significant fines are foreseen for transporting wood without authorization.
