Mangrove Forests in Riau Damaged and Turned into Charcoal, Two Perpetrators Arrested
The Riau Provincial Police’s Criminal Investigation Department’s Special Crimes Unit, led by Commissioner Ade Kuncoro Wahyu, revealed that the case was exposed thanks to information from the public regarding the transportation of bakau charcoal without official documents. The team from Unit 4 of Subdirectorate IV for Environmental Crimes in the Police’s Criminal Investigation Department then conducted an investigation, ultimately discovering the ship KM Aldan 2 loading bakau charcoal at an illegal charcoal kiln in Sesap Village, Tebing Tinggi Barat Subdistrict, on Saturday, 25 April 2026.
“From this raid, we secured 580 sacks of bakau charcoal. We then developed the leads, which pointed to two charcoal kiln locations serving as production sources,” said Commissioner Ade Kuncoro in his statement to reporters on Wednesday (6/5/2026).
The development led the team to two different sites, one each in Sesap Village and Sokop Village, Rangsang Pesisir Subdistrict. At those locations, investigators found large-scale bakau charcoal production activities that had been ongoing for some time.
From the search results, the police secured around 3,000 sacks of bakau charcoal with an estimated weight of more than 100 tonnes. Additionally, dozens of cubic metres of mangrove wood ready for processing were found.
“All these activities were carried out without permits and utilised mangrove wood illegally felled from coastal areas,” he added.
Preliminary investigation results indicate that the practice has been running for 2 to 3 years, with the aim of distribution to foreign markets, one of which is Batu Pahat, Malaysia.
In this case, investigators have named three individuals as suspects: B alias CC and M alias AW as the owners of the charcoal kilns, and SA who acted as the captain of the transporting ship. All three are charged under the Forestry Law and the Law on the Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction, facing a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rp5 billion.
The Riau Provincial Police are continuing to develop this case to trace any possible involvement of a wider distribution network, including indications of links to cross-border markets.
Commissioner Ade Kuncoro stated that this action is part of the consistent enforcement of the law emphasised by the Riau Police Chief, Inspector General Herry Heryawan, particularly in safeguarding the coastal ecosystem that plays a crucial role in environmental sustainability in Riau.