Opportunists Exploit Bali’s Fuel Crisis for Profit

The fuel crisis in Bali has been exploited by a number of people seeking to make a profit. Bali Police have detained 21 people, including labourers, online motorbike taxi drivers and students, for selling Pertalite at inflated prices through social media.

They were not regular fuel retailers. However, the crisis tempted them to sell Pertalite at prices far above normal in pursuit of profit.

“The backgrounds vary: there are labourers, online motorbike taxi drivers, members of the public and students. They saw the current situation as an opportunity to make a profit,” said Bali Police Special Crimes Investigation Director, Senior Commissioner Wisnu Prabowo, at a press conference at the Bali Police Special Crimes Directorate on Saturday (17 October 2026).

The people detained came from eight police jurisdictions. Five were arrested by Denpasar City Police, four by Klungkung Police, two each by Jembrana, Karangasem and Badung Police, and one each by Buleleng, Gianyar and Bangli Police.

They advertised Pertalite on Facebook Marketplace, where it was sold for around Rp50,000 to Rp200,000 per 1.5-litre mineral water bottle.

Police seized a total of 753 litres of Pertalite from the group, as well as money from the sales. Each seller had earned an average of hundreds of thousands of rupiah. One had made Rp1.8 million from selling Pertalite during the crisis.

Nevertheless, police considered the sellers to be small-scale resellers. They will face administrative sanctions, including a requirement to report to police, as well as social sanctions.

“We would also like to add that, in addition to administrative sanctions, the perpetrators will still be required to report,” Wisnu said.