MUSIC NEWS  - Gibson Guitar's factory in Nashville, TN was raided this week by local police and federal agents over the company's alleged use of rainforest wood used in the manufactuing of its' guitars.  The agents seized wood, guitars, computers and boxes from the Gibson facitity. Reports are that the factory was searched under the Lacey Act, which attempts to tackle the trafficking of illegal wildlife, plants and fish.

The search, carried out by the Fish and Wildlife Service, was to look for the use of rosewood that has been illegally harvested from the rainforest in Madagascar.   In a written statement, Gibson Guitar said it is "fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood".

Types of exotic hardwoods have been traditionally used by guitar firms in the making of their instruments.   Sources told the NashvillePost.com that Gibson was involved in an arrangement that shipped the wood from Madagascar to Germany and then to the USA.

And, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz has taken a leave of absence from his position as board member of the Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation group