Abstract: The subject of the study is the existing practice of investigating crimes related to the illegal acquisition, storage and smuggling of wood, the results of theoretical and applied scientific research conducted in this field.
As the main factors determining the existence of the problem considered in the course of the study, the author identifies: the complex nature of criminal actions that precede the illegal export of forest products; the organized nature of criminal activity; a significant amount of information that is subject to analysis as part of the investigation; the concealment by criminals of their awareness of the illegal origin of wood and the illegality of its export.
Special attention is paid to the role of witnesses in criminal cases as well as work with them. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the algorithm proposed by the results of the study for obtaining meaningful information, which consists of two stages of investigative work and takes into account the peculiarities of the method of wood smuggling, and is also focused on the above factors. In addition, it allows you to streamline the process of searching, recording and analyzing information that is necessary to solve the problem of proving the guilty of specific persons. Its application is considered by the author on the example of working with certain categories of witnesses, however, it is universal and in practice can be used by the preliminary investigation body when working with various sources of information.