Police arrest suspect in nitrate smuggling
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police in Central Sulawesi have arrested a man suspected of involvement in smuggling into the country hundreds of kilograms of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used to make fertilizer that can also be used to make bombs.
Police started their search for Husen, 30, after they found about 250 kilograms of the substance in a car in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Dec. 25, 2002.
Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto said on Friday that Husen was arrested at his house in the village of Balukang, Sojol district, regency of Donggala, on Thursday.
Husen reportedly confessed to police investigators that he had owned the 10 bags of ammonium nitrate seized by police from the car on Jl. Ketimun, West Palu.
During questioning, Husen reportedly acknowledged that he bought the material from a dealer at Pangalasiang seaport in Donggala for Rp 150,000 per bag.
The ammonium nitrate, believed to come from Malaysia, was then reportedly sold to a man named Risman for Rp 280,000 per bag. Risman has also been declared a suspect in the case.
Husen claimed the ammonium nitrate was to be used to make fertilizer, not bombs. "We will cross-check his statement," Sugianto said.
The ammonium nitrate was discovered after police stopped a Kijang pickup for a traffic violation in West Palu. Police checked its cabin and found 10 bags of ammonium nitrate. The car and its driver Sulaiman were taken to the police station for questioning.
Police chief of detectives Adj. Sr. Comr. Ricky Wakanno said that the two suspects were charged with violating the Agriculture Law, which bans the distribution of unregistered fertilizer.
The violation carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a Rp 250,000 fine.
Previously, police in Palu confiscated 17 bags of ammonium nitrate weighing 425 kilograms from a resident in Wani village, Tawaeli district, Donggala regency.
Djamil, the alleged owner, has been declared a suspect and detained by the police, Antara state news agency reported.
Ammonium nitrate packaged in bags labeled Matahari has become common in Central Sulawesi over the past six years. Many fishermen use it in bomb fishing in Tomini Bay and in the vicinity of the Banggai islands.
The substance can create a strong explosion if combined with automotive diesel fuel at a certain temperature.
The head of the Central Sulawesi Police Detective Unit, Sr. Comr. Tantang Sumatri, said on Thursday that local police were looking for four men suspected of involvement in the smuggling of ammonium nitrate.
"Four men are on the list of wanted suspects," Tantang told AFP.
He said the four, whom he did not name, were linked to two cases of smuggling involving 675 kilograms of ammonium nitrate from Malaysia to Central Sulawesi at the end of last year.
After the Dec. 25 find, police announced on Dec. 31 that they had made a second large seizure of ammonium nitrate in the province.
Tantang said the fertilizer was often used to make bombs for fishing but "with appropriate preparation, it can also be made into bombs that can take lives."
He said the police were trying to establish whether the chemicals were intended to produce bombs for fishing or for other purposes.
He said the police had established that the chemicals were smuggled from the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island.