Indonesian Police Uncover Illegal Onion Syndicate From Malaysia With Rp24.9 Billion Turnover

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Task Force for Law Enforcement against Smuggling (Satgas Gakkum Lundup) of the Criminal Investigation Department (Dittipideksus) of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) has uncovered a case of alleged smuggling of illegal imported onions believed to originate from Malaysia. Based on preliminary investigations, the syndicate had been operating for around one year before officers dismantled it. ‘From preliminary information, each week two of the suspects are alleged to place orders of around 8 tonnes of onions. Therefore, total sales over that period were estimated to reach around 832 tonnes per year, with a potential turnover of tens of billions of rupiah, i.e. around Rp 24.96 billion,’ said Brig. Gen. Ade Safri Simanjuntak, head of Dittipideksus Polri, in a statement on Friday (22 May 2026). The police emphasised that this activity operated in a structured and sustained manner. Officers subsequently conducted raids at two storage warehouses located in Bengkayang Regency, West Kalimantan, an area that shares a land border with Malaysia. At those locations, the Task Force seized a total of 20,932 kilograms (20.9 tonnes) of illegal imported onions without official quarantine documents, import documents, or lawful trade permits. The commodities seized consisted of 9,680 kg of garlic, 7,340 kg of bulb onions, 2,193 kg of shallots, and 1,719 kg of bawang beri, with an estimated total value of Rp 676.7 million. The police subsequently destroyed the 20.9 tonnes of seized goods on Thursday (21 May 2026), given the perishability of horticultural commodities and concerns over health and biosafety if they re-enter circulation. Ade said the case regarding the alleged illegal onion smuggling is at the investigative stage, and the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are conducting deeper examinations of the entry route, distribution channels, and the parties involved in the smuggling network. To date, the process of naming suspects remains in the evidence-gathering phase.