Bareskrim Uncovers Illegal Cyanide Trade from China
The Directorate of Economic and Special Crimes of the Indonesian National Police (Bareskrim Polri) has uncovered an illegal trade case involving sodium cyanide. The substance is suspected to have been distributed from China.
“From the results of the investigation, it was found that business actors allegedly engaged in trading cyanide without possessing the required permits as per applicable regulations. The goods were distributed or circulated to actors in the mining sector without following the distribution and supervision mechanisms established by the government,” stated the Director of Special Crimes of Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Ade Safri Simanjuntak, in a statement on Wednesday (1/7/2026).
In the course of this case disclosure, the Bareskrim Polri Special Crimes Directorate conducted inspections of several locations suspected to be storage and distribution sites, successfully finding and securing 362 drums of cyanide, or 18.1 tonnes, across three locations in Bekasi and West Jakarta.
“Based on initial in-depth findings, between 2024 and 2026, the business actors allegedly conducted illegal distribution activities reaching approximately 840.1 tonnes, or 16,802 drums of illegal cyanide, valued at Rp 769,953,600,000, to illegal gold miners (PETI),” he said.
From these findings, Brigadier General Ade suspects that this criminal activity was not incidental but was allegedly carried out in a structured and continuous manner, necessitating serious handling to dismantle the entire distribution network.
“The total amount of evidence secured is 362 drums or 18.1 tonnes of cyanide, with an estimated value of Rp 14,555,268,000. This evidence is related to suspected criminal acts of trade and/or consumer protection violations, carried out through business activities involving the trade of hazardous materials, specifically cyanide, which do not meet business licensing requirements and/or do not comply with statutory provisions,” he explained.
In this case, Bareskrim Polri investigators are applying multiple layers of charges in accordance with applicable laws. These include Article 106 in conjunction with Article 24 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 7 of 2024, as amended by Article 46 of Law Number 6 of 2023 regarding the Stipulation of Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning the Job Creation Law.
Additionally, Bareskrim is applying Article 62 in conjunction with Article 8 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection. The perpetrators face a prison sentence of 5 years or a fine of Rp 10 billion.
“Bareskrim Polri will investigate this matter thoroughly, ranging from the importation route, the use of licensing documents, the distribution process, to the parties receiving, trading, or using Sodium Cyanide unlawfully. The investigation is also directed towards uncovering the possibility of an organised network profiting from the trade of these hazardous chemicals,” he added.