Romanian police crack down on illegal timber transport and drunk driving

Police in northern Romania opened criminal investigations after two separate enforcement actions on 9 July. In Maramureș County, officers from the Rural Police Section stopped a utility vehicle near Desești and found 1.92 cubic metres of fir timber without any provenance documents. The 42‑year‑old driver from Șugatag could not prove legal origin of the wood, which investigators say was taken from a forest road near the Izvoare resort. A criminal case for tree theft was filed, the driver received a contravention fine, and the timber was seized and handed to the local forest district.

In Satu Mare County, the Rural Police Section in Beltiug halted a car on the 195A road and detected a 55‑year‑old driver from Satu Mare with a blood‑alcohol level of 0.77 mg/L. He was placed under criminal investigation for driving under the influence. During the same day, police issued nearly 300 contravention fines totaling more than 86 000 lei for various traffic and public‑order violations, urging road users to respect speed limits, avoid alcohol, and follow safety rules.