Riau Police Seize Half a Billion Rupiah and Vehicles from Elephant Ivory Traffickers
Riau Regional Police have seized a number of assets from two suspects in a money laundering case related to the trade in Sumatran elephant ivory in Pelalawan. The assets include cash amounting to hundreds of millions of rupiah and several vehicles.
The evidence was displayed during a press conference at the Riau Police Headquarters on Thursday (11/6/2026), including stacks of cash totalling Rp650 million.
“From tracing the proceeds of this money laundering, investigators successfully seized a number of items strongly suspected to be derived from the profits of the elephant ivory trade. The seized evidence includes Rp650,000,000 in cash, one unit of heavy machinery in the form of an excavator, one Mitsubishi Triton vehicle, and one Suzuki Splash vehicle,” explained Riau Police Special Criminal Investigation Director, Senior Commissioner Ade Kuncoro Wahyu, in a statement on Friday (12/6).
In this case, Riau Police have named two suspects. The cash exceeding half a billion rupiah was seized from suspect FA. “The four-wheeled vehicles were seized from suspect FS, while the Rp650 million in cash and the heavy machinery were seized from suspect FA,” he stated.
In addition to physical assets, investigators also seized documents including one bundle of a BCA bank current account statement under the name FA, one bundle of a BCA bank current account statement under the name HY, one bundle of a BCA bank current account statement under the name FS, one bundle of fiduciary collateral for the Mitsubishi Triton vehicle, one bundle of contract specifications for PT ZIHI, and one invoice sheet as proof of ownership.
Ade Kuncoro stated that both suspects disguised the wealth obtained from the wildlife trafficking crime. Based on the investigation results, it was discovered that suspect FA had been involved in elephant ivory hunting and trading activities from 2014 until his eventual capture in 2026. “This illegal activity was driven through a wildlife trafficking network controlled by suspect FS,” he added.
Analysis of financial transactions revealed a flow of funds closely linked to the trade in elephant ivory and other protected wildlife. The flow of funds reached billions of rupiah. “Investigators discovered transactions amounting to Rp1,872,000,000 received by FA from HY through 34 transactions,” he said.
Ade Kuncoro noted that the funds originated from the sale of elephant ivory sent by FS, AC, and AR. “Suspect FA is a repeat offender who has been entangled in similar cases several times, most recently in 2019,” he stated.
Within this elephant poaching network, FA was tasked with supplying logistics and providing capital to the hunters in the field. He was previously apprehended in the Kampar region. “Overall, in this money laundering case, two main suspects have been named, namely FA, a 62-year-old man, and FS, a 43-year-old man from Surabaya,” he concluded.