Dozens arrested over fuel smuggling

Dozens arrested over fuel smuggling

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The National Police announced on Friday they had discovered fuel
smuggling cases in Central Java and East Nusa Tenggara during the
past 30 days, with dozens of suspects arrested for the crime.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo said
at least 59 people were caught in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and
Central Java for allegedly attempting to smuggle fuel abroad.

Six suspects were arrested in Cilacap, Central Java, included
Chinese and Taiwanese crew members on board a tanker ship that
was confiscated by the local police.

"The ship was found after being loaded with 48,000 liters of
diesel fuel owned by Haji Upay and Hajjah Tetty, residents of
Bandung, West Java, as stated in the documents discovered aboard
the tanker," Aryanto said.

The MT Yoto ship was moored in Intan harbor in Cilacap, before
it was to take the fuel away to another country, he added, but
did not know which country the fuel was destined for.

Aryanto said the police were searching for both Upay and Tetty
along with other people allegedly involved in the fuel smuggling
attempt, including Neno and Painu, residents of Cilacap.

"We're still trying to track them down," he said.

Aryanto added that apart from confiscating the ship and its
contents, the police had also seized three fuel trucks owned by
CV Tedi Jaya Putra, one car and two fuel pumps.

Meanwhile, 53 people were nabbed separately by the NTT police
for trying to smuggle fuel into neighboring Timor Leste.

"Along with them (the suspects), the local police confiscated
1,370 liters of premium gasoline, 60,910 liters of diesel fuel
and 21,192 liters of kerosene as well as six small ships and two
fuel trucks," Aryanto said.

"They usually smuggle fuel by putting it in small containers
and taking it by small country roads, which border security
officers do not patrol," he added.

He said the police also found other ways used by the suspects
to smuggle fuel out of Indonesia; they usually buy fuel in a
large number of liters using outdated delivery orders, or they
buy it in local gas stations, claiming that it would be used for
fishing boats.

Responding to the current fuel shortages nationwide and the
large amount of confiscated fuel being held at local police
stations as evidence for investigations, Aryanto said the police
were considering the possibility of making it available for
public consumption.

The police could only keep small samples of the fuel as
evidence, he added.

"However, we cannot decide on this matter yet because we have
to coordinate with other relevant authorities, including the
prosecutor's offices," Aryanto said.