Bareskrim Polri Uncovers 3 Sites of Illegal Tin Mining in Bangka Belitung
The Directorate of Special Criminal Acts (Dittipidter) at Bareskrim Polri, working jointly with the Bangka Belitung Islands Regional Police, raided three locations involved in processing and storing illegally mined tin sand in East Belitung Regency and Belitung Regency on Saturday, 28 February. The operation represents an expansion of a tin smuggling case previously uncovered in Batam.
Brigadier General Irhamni, Director of Special Criminal Acts at Bareskrim Polri, stated that the raided locations were centres for illegal tin processing suspected of being a source for smuggling to Malaysia.
“This location is an illegal tin processing site that was to be smuggled to Malaysia,” Irhamni said in a statement on Sunday, 1 March.
He explained that the raids took place at three crime scenes. The first site was a tin sand refining operation using shaking tables in Mayang Village, Kelapa Kampit District, East Belitung Regency.
The second site was a warehouse and shop storing illegal tin sand in the same district. Officers seized evidence including scales, tin sand, and purchase records for tin sand, and cordoned off the area.
The third site was located at Seliu Island Beach, Membalong District, Belitung Regency, identified as a point for dispatching illegal tin sand. During the operation, officers detained two individuals identified as A and M.
According to Irhamni, the Belitung discovery is an extension of an earlier case uncovered jointly with Customs authorities in Batam, Riau Islands.
In the Batam case, officers apprehended five crew members and seized a vessel carrying 16 tonnes of tin sand destined for Malaysia.
“Our purpose is to investigate cases of smuggling and illegal mining offences. This location is where processing for smuggling took place, which we apprehended together with our colleagues from Batam Customs,” Irhamni said.
He added that preliminary investigations revealed the perpetrators had smuggled tin sand to Malaysia on at least four occasions, sending it to smelters in that country.
“The perpetrators smuggled tin sand to Malaysia illegally on at least four occasions, which was sent to smelters in Malaysia, and this is consistent with the suspects’ confessions during the investigation,” Irhamni stated.