Tycoon nabbed for illegal possession of chemicals

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java

West Java Police have detained a businessman, Yusuf Tjahyadi, for illegal possession of 40 tons of chemicals that can be used to make explosives, police said Tuesday.

Adj. Comr. Zul Azmi, head of West Java Police investigation branch, said Jusuf, a resident of Jl. Semar, Bandung, was arrested last Thursday after complaints of a foul smell coming from his store on Jl. Holis in Bandung.

"Reports from local people prompted us to conduct a field inspection. After observing the store for three days, we raided the store and discovered a huge amount of chemicals," Azmi said.

Police declared Yusuf a suspect on Sunday and charged him with Article 3 (3) of Emergency Law No. 12, 1951 on possessing, controlling and selling explosives without a permit. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life.

Police said Yusuf would also be charged with Environmental Law No. 23, 1997, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail, for exposing people in the area to a dangerous situation.

Authorities have moved to control the sale of chemicals after the terrorist attacks in Denpasar, Bali, that killed more than 200 people and injured more than 300 others last Oct. 12.

Authorities have traced the explosives used by the suspected terrorists to a chemical shop in Surabaya, East Java. The owner of the store is now on trial.

On Tuesday, police investigators tested the chemicals, which are now kept at Sumedang police station in Cikeruh, West Java, to determine whether the chemicals were genuine or not.

Chemicals retrieved by police, according to Azmi, include 1,280 sacks of potassium chlorate, 300 sacks of potassium nitrate and six gallons of potassium paramangarat.

On average, each sack weighs 25 kilograms.

Yusuf told police investigators that he started selling chemicals in the 1990s.

Yusuf, according to police, had admitted that he had not obtained a permit to sell the chemicals.

"He only got a business permit to sell chemical materials used for the food and beverage industry, not for chemical goods such as potassium, which could be used as explosives," Azmi said.

Yusuf told police that buyers of his chemicals came from various backgrounds, including fishermen and firecracker manufacturers.

He said he did not know if the explosives had not been misused by buyers.