Police Uncover Illegal Imported Onion Distribution in Malang, Brebes Man Becomes Suspect
The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Malang City Police Department has uncovered alleged distribution of illegal imported red onions circulating in Malang, East Java.
In this case, police designated one suspect with the initials BS or Benny Sanjir (46) as a formal suspect. The suspect designation followed a series of investigations and examinations conducted by investigators regarding the distribution activities of imported onions suspected of not meeting required standards.
Malang City Police Chief, Senior Police Commissioner Putu Kholis Aryana, stated that the case disclosure originated from a police report numbered LP/A/12/XI/2025/SPKT SATRESKRIM/POLRESTA MALANG KOTA/POLDA JAWA TIMUR dated 11 November 2025.
From investigation results, police discovered a warehouse on Rajasa Street, Bumiayu Village, Kedungkandang District, Malang City that was suspected of being used as a storage facility for imported red onions before distribution to various regions.
“The imported onions are suspected of violating horticulture import standards. The team conducted an inspection on Saturday, 8 November 2025, at approximately 17:30 Western Indonesian Time in front of a warehouse owned by Abd Holek and Yulia Riska on Rajasa Street. The warehouse was found to receive supplies of red onions from a supplier named BS,” he stated as quoted on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
In this case, suspect BS, a resident of Brebes Regency, Central Java, is alleged to have acted as an importer marketing imported onions with sizes not in accordance with regulations.
Police also seized several documents related to the import activities. These included documents for risk-based business permits (NIB), approvals for horticulture product imports, international sales contracts, quarantine documents, and shipping documents from India.
“The modus operandi used by the suspect was selling imported onions that were below standard size, namely less than 5 centimetres. However, import regulations explicitly stipulate that onions entering Indonesia must have a minimum diameter of 5 centimetres,” he said.
Putu Kholis revealed that the onions were marketed at approximately 8,000 Indonesian rupiah per kilogram. Market demand was reported as quite high, even reaching approximately 1,500 sacks with approximately 9 kilograms weight per sack.
During the investigation process, officers also conducted physical inspection of the commodity by horizontally cutting the onions to verify their diameter size.