Forestry Ministry arrests suspect transporting 598 illegal logs in North Sumatra

The Ministry of Forestry, through its Directorate General of Law Enforcement, has named a suspect in the case of transporting 598 illegal logs following an operation in Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra. Head of the Sumatra Regional Forestry Law Enforcement Agency, Hari Novianto, stated that HSB was named a suspect for distributing approximately 598 processed logs using invalid documents and is suspected of being responsible for controlling the cargo and arranging the movement of the timber to the recipient’s location. ‘The designation of HSB as a suspect is the entry point to trace who else is involved in this timber circulation. Investigators are probing the origin of the wood, the owner of the cargo, the document provider, the party giving orders, the financiers, the final recipient, and the intellectual actors suspected of designing and controlling its distribution,’ Hari explained. The case came to light when the Forest Product Circulation Operations Team was conducting surveillance on the Medan-Kabanjahe road in Sibolangit District, Deli Serdang Regency, on Thursday (23/7). Officers stopped a truck in front of the Sibolangit Vehicle Weighing Implementation Unit and discovered a cargo of approximately 598 processed logs of various types and sizes. Officers then verified the documents via the Forest Product Administration Information System (SIPUHH). The result showed that the document data and the timber transport were not found in the SIPUHH. HSB faces a maximum prison sentence of five years and/or a maximum fine of category IV, amounting to Rp200 million. Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, said the circulation of illegal timber not only damages forests but also erodes state revenue and creates unfair competition for compliant business actors. ‘Therefore, the law enforcement strategy is directed in an integrated manner from upstream to downstream. Field operations must be followed by tracing the controlling actors, sources of financing, distribution patterns, beneficiaries, and governance loopholes used to introduce illegal timber into the market. The goal is not merely to resolve one case, but to build an orderly, transparent, and sustainable forest product circulation system,’ Januanto said. He affirmed that the Ministry of Forestry is prioritising the control of illegal logging and timber circulation as part of improving forestry governance. This is in line with the directive of Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni regarding the importance of strong, system-based supervision to prevent illegal timber from entering the market, optimise non-tax state revenue from the forestry sector, and create fair business competition for compliant business actors.