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ways used by the suspects to smuggle fuel out of Indonesia; they usually buy fuel in a large number of liters using outdated delivery orders, or they buy it in local gas stations, claiming that it would be used for fishing boats.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