Saturday, 9 Haitians have been caught in the act and arrested in Pedernales by the Dominican army while they were transporting wood of "guaconejo" (Amyris balsamifera) better known in Haiti by the popular name of "candle wood", used for the extraction of essential oil used in the manufacture of perfume, a plant with high monetary value, which has almost disappeared from Haiti due to its uncontrolled exploitation.

Haitians have been handed over to the authorities responsible for migration and the environment accused of violating Law 64-00 on the environment and natural resources for legal action.

The very lucrative traffic of "candle wood", coming from the pillage of the forests of Pedernales by Haitian smugglers is the source of many incidents and seizures and arrests are frequent.

In early January 2019, 426 Amyris balsamifera bags had been seized https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26550-haiti-dr-anti-return-operation-3-767-haitians-intercepted-at-the-border-and-turned-back-to-haiti.html and more than 2,000 bags in 2018 https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23721-icihaiti-rd-partial-assessment-of-the-fight-against-haitian-smuggling.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26364-haiti-dr-seizure-of-more-than-5-000-bottles-of-contraband-alcohol-from-haiti.html

S/ HaitiLibre