Riau Police Chief Calls for Maximum Punishment for Elephant Poachers: This Is an Extraordinary Crime
Riau’s Police Chief, Inspector General Herry Heryawan, said the hunting of Sumatran elephants in Ukui sub-district, Pelalawan Regency, is an extraordinary crime. He urged the Riau High Prosecutor’s Office to demand the heaviest possible sentences for the perpetrators. ‘I ask the Prosecutor General, please demand the maximum punishment. Because this is a continuing act, not just one or two times. It is a wound we share,’ said Inspector General Herry Heryawan on Thursday (5 March 2026).
The Police Chief noted that the elephant ivory poaching crime in the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) and surrounding areas has not happened just this time. The Riau Police recorded eight cases of crimes against wild elephants since 2024. ‘From this syndicate we can see eight cases in 2024 (four cases) where elephants were killed by shooting, and four cases in 2025,’ he added. ‘And after a sweep and forensic processing, bone fragments were found again, currently under police line status.’
Inspector General Herry Heryawan stated that the syndicate is organised and patterned. He also emphasised that elephant poaching is not merely a normal crime but an extraordinary crime because it is carried out in a continuing pattern, not by chance. ‘This is not an ordinary crime. This is an extraordinary crime because it is carried out in a continuing pattern, not random,’ he said.
The two-star general emphasised that the Sumatran elephant is a symbol of the balance of nature in Riau. Killing wildlife for short-term economic gain is a betrayal of the life chain. ‘The forests of Riau must be protected, wildlife must be protected, and the law must be enforced without compromise. Crimes against protected wildlife are crimes against all of us,’ he concluded.
15 Suspects Arrested
Through in-depth investigation, the team ultimately captured the elephant poaching syndicate in several separate locations during operations from 18-23 February 2026. The suspects had different roles, ranging from executors who shot elephants and cut tusks, funders, ammunition owners, intermediaries, to receivers.
Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryawan stated that the suspects hunted Sumatran elephants to seize and trade their tusks. ‘In the construction of the case, FA played the role of funder, tusk receiver, ammunition owner, and tusk cutter,’ Herry Heryawan said at a press conference at the Riau Police Headquarters, on Tuesday (3 February 2026).
Of the 15 suspects arrested, eight were part of a network spanning Riau and Sumbar who acted as executors cutting off elephant heads, shooters, funders, tusk buyers, and intermediaries in illegal gun sales. They are RA (31), JM (44), SM (41), FA (62), HY (74), AB (56), LK (43), SL (43).
Additionally, the Riau Police also arrested seven suspects in Jakarta, Surabaya, Kudus, and Solo. They acted as intermediaries to buyers of elephant tusks used for cigarette pipes. The seven suspects are AR (39), AC (40), FS (43), ME (49), SA (39), JS (47), and HA (42).
Meanwhile, the Riau Police have three suspects on the wanted list (DPO), namely AN, GL, and RB. They acted as shooters and head cutters as well as tusk receivers.