Gibson Guitars under Investigation for Smuggling Illegal Wood

The Gibson Guitar Factory

Gibson Guitars are under invesigation for alleged use of smuggled wood. US federal agents raided a Gibson factory on Tuesday, claiming that they may have used illegal rosewood to make their guitars. The US Fish and Wildlife Service are now seeking evidence that Gibson shipped illegal rosewood from Madagascar via Germany.

Gibson promised that they are "fully co-operating" with the federal investigation but this is highly embarrassing for Henry Juszkiewicz, Gibson CEO, who sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance, which lobbies for sustainable forestry.