Seized Peruvian Amazon rainforest wood destroyed One of two recent enforcement actions in the Port of Houston

Amazon rainforest wood has been destroyed that U.S. and Peruvian officials say was illegally imported to the U.S. Amazon rainforest wood has been destroyed that U.S. and Peruvian officials say was illegally imported to the U.S. Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Seized Peruvian Amazon rainforest wood destroyed 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

One of two massive loads of wood illegally harvested from the Amazon rainforest in Peru and captured by federal officials in the Port of Houston in 2015 has now been destroyed as part of a settlement agreement reached with an Oregon-based importer, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The shipment of 24 pallets of timber that reached Houston in December 2015 was red-flagged after Peruvian officials said it lacked proper paperwork required to ensure legal harvests of Amazon wood. Under Peruvian law, each individual tree must be identified by its latitude and longitude, and when permits are questioned government inspectors often have journeyed days by boat and by foot to determine whether documents correctly specify trees taken from approved areas.

The U.S. Department of Justice officials announced the settlement Wednesday - describing it as the first time ever the United States had seized and destroyed so much allegedly illegally harvested rainforest timber under a law called the Lacey Act.

"The agreement ensures that timber that the U.S. government maintains was harvested in violation of Peruvian law will not enter the U.S. stream of commerce," the press release says.

The Lacey Act, the oldest wildlife protection law in the United States, was originally designed to prohibit the illegal trade of animals and birds. It was amended in 2008 to protect plants and trees.

Such strong action by the U.S. government should discourage other importers from taking a chance on potentially tainted timber, said Alexander von Bismarck, the executive director of the Environment Investigation Agency. His non-profit has investigated the impact of timber trafficking in Peru and across the globe.

"It's a sign that governments are beginning to say no to stolen wood and that is urgently needed for the forests of the world to have a chance," he said.

Officials in Houston from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies have been involved in investigating two different shipments of Peruvian rainforest wood U.S. importers brought here in 2015.

The September shipment was far larger - containing hardwood sawed into boards that weighed 3.8 million pounds and including enough material to cover several football fields. It was valued at more than $1 million, according to a federal search warrant related to the case. It was excluded from entry into Houston by U.S. Customs after Peruvian authorities presented information questioning its permits.

Then in December, Homeland Security seized a different shipment from Peru after receiving a report from the Peruvian government under a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement that said the timber could not be the species authorized for harvest. That finding was later corroborated through testing by the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory.

The U.S. Justice Department confirmed Wednesday that the smaller December shipment was originally destined for a wholesale timber company in Oregon called Popp Forest Products Inc. It has been destroyed with Popp paying all costs. The shipment was equal in volume to about two 20-foot container units and had a value of about $22,500.

"We are pleased to have reached a settlement in this case," said Mark Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Houston. "HSI will continue to work with our foreign and domestic partners to ensure imports to the U.S. are conducted in accordance with U.S. laws and regulations."

Steve Popp, the owner of the importing company, declined comment Thursday.

Federal government officials also recently reached out-of-court agreements that will likely lead to the destruction of the larger load of Peruvian timber that several U.S. importing companies sought to import in September 2015, according to Gregory Palmore, a spokesman for U.S. Customs Enforcement in Houston.

"Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), reached agreements with the companies that sought to import the wood, " he said via email. "Under these agreements, the wood will be destroyed. No party has admitted fault."

No criminal charges or civil penalties have been announced against any of the importers. Not all have settled.

As part of its settlement agreement, "Popp Forest Products agreed to bear all costs associated with the transportation, destruction, and disposal of the seized timber," the government said.

In return, the U.S. government agreed to waive further civil enforcement action, fines or penalties. But the civil agreement "does not bind any criminal prosecuting authority, whether federal, state, or local," the press release said.

Under the Lacey Act, importers of illegal products can face additional penalties or even criminal charges if officials can prove that they had knowledge that the timber they imported was illegally harvested. Other recent Lacey Act cases involving illegally imported wood led to a settlement involving Gibson Guitars and prosecution involving Lumber Liquidators Inc..

"We all have a stake in the sustainability of the world's forests," said John C. Cruden, assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources division in the settlement announcement issued Wednesday. "The interdependence of the world's ecosystems and natural resources is the foundation of the Lacey Act, the nation's oldest environmental law. The law also provides us the tools to prevent illegally harvested timber from entering the U.S. marketplace and undercutting lawfully obtained products."