Criminal Police Uncover 9 Tonnes of Expired Frozen Meat Trafficking in Tangerang
Tangerang District — The Criminal Police Bureau (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police have exposed the modus operandi of a criminal enterprise distributing 9 tonnes of expired imported frozen lamb meat, allegedly circulated to traditional markets in Tangerang and Jakarta regions for public consumption ahead of the Islamic New Year celebration of 1447 Hijra/2026 CE.
Senior Mobile Rapid Response Unit Commander of Bareskrim, Police Commissioner Teuku Arsya Khadafi, announced at a press conference in Tangerang on Monday that investigators have identified four suspects in this case.
He stated that each of the four individuals held specific roles: initials IY as seller and owner of the expired meat; T and AR as brokers; and SS as the producer or buyer.
“This case originated from a report concerning food trading activities involving imported lamb carcass meat from Australia that was allegedly expired,” he explained.
He detailed that following initial enforcement action, the Bareskrim Mobile Rapid Response Unit seized three trucks containing imported lamb meat from Australia suspected to be expired, located in the Kosambi warehouse area of Tangerang.
Subsequently, investigators expanded operations by targeting two storage locations: Warehouse I at Poris Block B1, Batuceper, Tangerang City, and Warehouse II at Jalan Raya Serang No. 8, Cikupa, Tangerang District, Banten.
“From these investigations, the Mobile Rapid Response Unit secured ten witnesses and pieces of evidence,” he stated.
He said that from this operation, authorities seized approximately 12.9 tonnes of expired lamb meat. The meat was transported in three box trucks comprising 154 cartons totalling 2,548.36 kilograms, 157 cartons totalling 2,411.69 kilograms, and 148 cartons totalling 4,052.99 kilograms.
Additionally, Kombes Pol Setyo K. Heriyanto, Head of Subsection I of the Directorate of General Crime Investigation at Bareskrim, noted that the four suspects’ involvement in distributing expired imported meat was uncovered through a low-price scheme.
According to the statements of suspect IY (meat seller), the imported Australian lamb product was purchased in 2022, with an initial purchase of 24 tonnes from an import meat company.
“From this purchase, the suspect sold the meat, and the remaining 14,000 kilograms (14 tonnes) that had exceeded its expiry date (April 2024) were stored in the suspect’s warehouse,” he explained.
For the expired meat, in February and March 2026, the suspect, with assistance from intermediaries AR and T, sold 1.6 tonnes to buyer SS at a price of IDR 80,658,000, or IDR 50,000 per kilogram.
“Subsequently, with the assistance of intermediaries AR and T, suspect IY resold the expired meat by dispatching three trucks containing 9 tonnes to buyers in the Kosambi area of Tangerang,” he disclosed.
The suspect had sold approximately 100 kilograms of the expired lamb meat at prices ranging from IDR 81,000 to IDR 85,000 per kilogram.
For their actions, the suspects face charges under Article 8(3) and Article 62(1) of Law Number 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection and/or Articles 90, 135, and/or 140 of Law Number 18 of 2012 on Food, as well as Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Enactment of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning Job Creation.
“The criminal penalty imposed is imprisonment for a maximum of five years or a fine of up to IDR 2 billion,” he stated.