Polri Uncovers Subsidised Fuel and LPG Mafia, Analyst: Key to Stability Amid Global Crisis
Senior political analyst Boni Hargens has commended the firm steps taken by Polri’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) in cracking down on and dismantling the network of subsidised fuel (BBM) and LPG misuse across Indonesia. This action is seen as a clever institutional response under the leadership of Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo in safeguarding national economic resilience.
Boni emphasised that Polri’s success in uncovering thousands of pieces of evidence, from adulterated 3kg LPG cylinders to modified tanker vehicles, is not merely routine law enforcement but an effort to mitigate energy crisis threats amid global geopolitical pressures.
“This Polri action is not just conventional law enforcement, but a smart institutional response to the complexities Indonesia is facing in social, economic, and geopolitical dimensions,” Boni stated in his comments on Thursday (9/4/2026).
According to Boni, Polri has revealed that the perpetrators are not opportunistic individuals but organised groups building a parallel illegal distribution system. They divert entitlements from small communities to large industries that should pay non-subsidised prices.
Boni appreciated Polri’s transformation towards greater proactivity through intelligence and investigative capabilities, rather than merely waiting for public reports. He assessed that the Police Chief has fostered a proactive culture within Bareskrim Polri, which is highly effective due to cross-agency coordination, including with the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas), the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), and Pertamina, to identify distribution anomalies.
Boni outlined several main modi operandi mapped by Polri in exploiting vulnerabilities in the national distribution system. The first involves illegal adulteration and conversion, where subsidised 3kg LPG contents are transferred to non-subsidised cylinders for sale at market prices using illegal conversion tools.
Next, there is the diversion of subsidised diesel using modified tanker vehicles to transport it to large industries. The perpetrators also systematically forge distribution documents such as delivery notes and consumer identities to deceive officials. Finally, internal collusion involving rogue elements at official agents was found, manipulating quotas so subsidy allocations could be sold on the black market.
Boni views the Police Chief’s firmness in prosecuting everyone as a guarantee to the public that law enforcement is impartial. He stressed that Polri fully understands that the current subsidised fuel issue cannot be separated from the global geopolitical context and the economic pressures felt by the people.