Police Foil Smuggling of 1.7 Tonnes of Kerosene from Labuan Bajo to Bima, NTB
The Water and Air Unit (Sat Polairud) of the West Manggarai Police District foiled the smuggling of approximately 1,749 litres or 1.7 tonnes of kerosene at the ASDP Ferry Terminal in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The kerosene was being smuggled to Bima, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), using a ferry vessel.
Four individuals were arrested in connection with the kerosene smuggling operation, whilst one other remains a fugitive.
“Thousands of litres of kerosene were discovered neatly packaged in 1,500 ml plastic bottles and hidden within dozens of large cardboard boxes to deceive field officers,” stated Commander of Sat Polairud West Manggarai Police District Henro Manurung, in a written statement on Monday, 16 March 2026 evening.
Henro explained that the foiling of the kerosene smuggling began with public concerns regarding suspicious truck activity. In response to that report, Henro along with 20 personnel conducted immediate sweeps in the port area on Saturday, 14 March 2026.
“The enforcement action was carried out after officers received information from the public regarding suspected inter-provincial fuel smuggling of kerosene,” said Henro.
During the operation, officers initially stopped a truck bearing registration number DK 8924 JK. Police were momentarily deceived as the truck only contained 335 empty LPG cylinders.
Officers then interrogated the driver with initials HH (22) and a man with initials HA (23). From this point, it emerged that the kerosene had been transferred to another truck just before entering the port’s sterile zone.
“The modus operandi used was transferring cargo between trucks at a specific point before entering the port to avoid arousing suspicion among field officers,” explained Henro.
After conducting a further sweep, police eventually located two other trucks, namely truck EA 8442 WA and truck EB DR 84 29 DM. Within the truck beds, officers discovered thousands of bottles of kerosene packaged in 23 large cardboard boxes.
Based on preliminary examination results, the perpetrators dared to commit this act because they stood to make substantial profits. They purchased kerosene in the Lembor area, West Manggarai at the subsidised price of Rp5,000 per litre, and sold it in Bima at the black market price of Rp13,000 per litre.
“The profit they were targeting was quite substantial, nearly threefold from the purchase price. This is what drives inter-provincial smuggling practices to continue occurring,” said Henro.
Officers seized 1,749 litres of kerosene from SI (35) and FY (66). Police also secured three trucks that were used to transport the kerosene.
Police have apprehended four individuals, with one still at large. Those already apprehended include two kerosene owners, namely HA and FY. The two others detained were HH and I, both serving as drivers.
SI managed to escape during the raid. The man from Bima is now a fugitive. “The suspected perpetrator with initials SI fled during the raid. The investigative team of the Legal and Compliance Division of Sat Polairud is currently conducting intensive pursuit operations,” stated Henro firmly.
The perpetrators will be charged under Article 55 of Law Number 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Natural Gas, which has been strengthened through Article 40 point 9 of Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation. The perpetrators face a maximum prison sentence of six years and fines of up to Rp60 billion.