Eight Illegal Miners Arrested in West Nusa Tenggara Conservation Area
Mataram (ANTARA) - A joint team comprising the Ministry of Forestry, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police and the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has secured eight people suspected of illegal mining in the Tanjung Tampa Nature Park (TWA) conservation area at Gunung Prabu, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, said the operation uncovered the suspected transport of illegally mined material from the TWA Tanjung Tampa conservation area in Kuta Village, Pujut Subdistrict, Central Lombok Regency.
“During the operation, the team secured eight people suspected of involvement in transporting the material, 157 sacks of gold-bearing rock, one dump truck, one pickup vehicle and other items of evidence used in the activity,” he said in a statement received in Mataram on Tuesday.
He affirmed that the case indicated a suspected smuggling route for mined material out of the conservation area via sea and land.
“The material is suspected to have been transported by wooden boat from around the mining site, then transferred to land vehicles to be taken to another location,” he revealed.
Januanto said the investigation is now being directed at uncovering the entire chain of activity, from the extraction of material in the conservation area to the parties who received and benefited from the proceeds.
According to him, the case came to light after the team received information from local residents about vehicles repeatedly transporting sacks of rock material from around the Gunung Prabu area.
Following up on the report, officers monitored the suspected loading and unloading point, then discovered material being transferred from a wooden boat to a dump truck and a pickup vehicle on the coast of Kuta Village.
After the vehicles left the location, the team tracked and intercepted them, successfully stopping both vehicles in Ketara Village, Pujut Subdistrict. An inspection revealed hundreds of sacks of rock material suspected to contain gold.
“All those secured, along with the evidence, were handed over to the Forestry Law Enforcement Centre for the Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara Region to undergo legal proceedings in accordance with applicable regulations,” he explained.
Januanto stated that investigators are still probing the role of each party, the origin of the material, ownership of the transport vehicles, the destination of the shipments, and the possible involvement of others who ordered, financed, harboured, received or profited from the illegal mining activity.
According to him, the perpetrators are charged under Article 90 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 17 paragraph (1) letter c of Law Number 18 of 2013 on the Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction, as amended by Law Number 6 of 2023 and adjusted through Law Number 1 of 2026 on Criminal Penalty Adjustments, in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code.
“The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of ten years and/or a maximum fine of category VI, amounting to Rp2 billion. The legal status and accountability of each party are determined based on the results of examinations and evidence obtained by investigators,” he said.
He further affirmed that protecting conservation areas is part of the state’s commitment to safeguarding the sustainability of natural resources and ensuring that protected spaces cannot become objects of illegal exploitation.
“Conservation areas are established to protect Indonesia’s natural wealth and to ensure its benefits continue to be enjoyed by both present and future generations,” he said.