South Sumatra Police Uncover Diversion of 10 Tonnes of Subsidised Fertiliser, Three People Arrested
The Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimsus) of the South Sumatra Provincial Police (Polda Sumsel) foiled the practice of diverting 10 tonnes of subsidised fertiliser in Muara Enim Regency, South Sumatra. Three perpetrators were arrested by the police.
Deputy Head of Criminal Investigation of Polda Sumsel, AKBP Listiyono, stated that the case disclosure began with reports from the public suspecting irregularities in the distribution of subsidised fertiliser. Responding swiftly to the information, the police immediately conducted an investigation and successfully identified the target vehicle.
The enforcement action took place on Sunday night (19/4/2026). Police tailed a white Isuzu truck from Ogan Komering Ulu Regency (OKU) towards Muara Enim, which was known to be using fake licence plates to deceive officers.
“During the interception on the Prabumulih-Baturaja main road, officers found a load consisting of 180 sacks of urea fertiliser and 20 sacks of NPK Phonska fertiliser, with a total weight of around 10 tonnes. The truck driver, initialled IWS (51), who turned out to be a repeat offender in a similar case, could not produce valid transport documents or proof of being an official recipient,” said AKBP Listiyono in his statement on Thursday (23/4).
The investigation did not stop with suspect IWS; police developed the case, leading directly to the distributor. Ultimately, police arrested two other suspects in the OKU area, namely HT (39) as the shop owner and RMU (23) who served as the administrator.
Police suspect that HT and RMU deliberately sold the subsidised fertiliser above the highest retail price (HET) to unauthorised parties in order to gain personal profit.
Meanwhile, Head of the Sub-Directorate of Economic Crimes Investigation of Ditreskrimsus Polda Sumsel, AKBP Khoiril Akbar, emphasised that this practice is a serious crime that harms farmers as the primary targets of the government’s subsidy programme.
In this operation, police seized several pieces of evidence, including 10 tonnes of subsidised fertiliser (urea and NPK Phonska), one Isuzu truck along with vehicle documents, banking transaction records, and three mobile phones belonging to the suspects.
Currently, the three suspects are being detained at Polda Sumsel headquarters. They are charged under Article 110 in conjunction with Article 36 in conjunction with Article 35 of Law No. 7 of 2014 on Trade, as well as related provisions in the new Criminal Code. They face a maximum prison sentence of five years and fines up to Rp5 billion.
Head of Public Relations of Polda Sumsel, Kombes Nandang Mu’min Wijaya, stated that this enforcement is part of the strategic efforts of the National Police to protect farmers’ rights and maintain national food security stability.
“We will not give the slightest room to individuals who attempt to misuse subsidised fertiliser. This concerns the livelihood of our farmers. Polda Sumsel will continue to take firm action, and we urge the public not to hesitate to report any irregularities observed in the field,” Nandang stressed.