Ministry of Forestry Apprehends Coordinator of Illegal Logging Network at Baluran National Park
Jakarta — The Directorate General for Law Enforcement (Gakkum) of the Ministry of Forestry has successfully apprehended a key figure in the illegal logging network operating at Baluran National Park in East Java, who served as the coordinator of a group of unlicensed timber fellers.
Aswin Bangun, Head of the Law Enforcement Office for Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara at the Ministry of Forestry, confirmed in a statement from Jakarta on Tuesday that AH had been secured in Situbondo. AH served as the field operations controller and key actor who coordinated several teams of illegal timber fellers in the Baluran National Park area.
“This case does not stop with one name. We have mapped out the network of illegal logging perpetrators at Baluran National Park and we continue to pursue those on our wanted list one by one,” Aswin stated.
“We urge other fugitives to surrender themselves. We will continue to enforce the law strictly until we have uncovered the entire chain of perpetrators, including those who benefited from this crime,” he added.
Based on sufficient evidence, Civil Service Investigators (PPNS) subsequently designated AH as a party involved in the illegal logging network in the Baluran National Park area.
The case originated on 16 November 2023 when a joint operational team monitored a vehicle suspected of transporting timber that had been felled illegally from Baluran National Park. The vehicle was later found abandoned in Sidowangi Village, Wongsorejo District, Banyuwangi Regency, with logs of teak timber that had fallen from the vehicle. Officers secured ten logs of teak timber and one vehicle.
Ministry of Forestry investigators subsequently expanded their investigation and, on 23 September 2025, successfully arrested HK, whose case has been transferred to the Banyuwangi District Prosecutors’ Office.
In a related statement, Yazid Nurhuda, Director of Prevention and Management of Forestry Complaints at the Ministry of Forestry, emphasised that illegal logging in national park areas cannot be regarded as ordinary crime.
“Illegal logging not only damages forest ecosystems, but also damages healthy timber commerce. When illegal timber enters the market at cheap prices, law-abiding businesses are actually harmed by unfair competition,” he explained.
He also highlighted that Baluran National Park holds significance far beyond mere timber value—it is also a showcase of Indonesia’s biodiversity and a reflection of the state’s authority in protecting the nation’s natural wealth.