TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Investigators from the Directorate of Economic and Special Crime of the Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri) have uncovered a large-scale illegal trading network of hazardous materials (B2) specifically involving Sodium Cyanide. In this operation, the police confiscated at least 18.1 tons or 362 drums of ready-to-distribute cyanide from three different locations in Jakarta and Bekasi.
Brigadier General Ade Safri Simanjuntak, Director of Economic and Special Crimes of Bareskrim Polri, stated that the thousands of drums of cyanide were illegally distributed to supply illegal Gold Mining Without Permit (PETI) activities in various regions of Indonesia. The cyanide is strongly suspected to have been imported from China and Korea.
"We found evidence that the perpetrators conducted trading of Sodium Cyanide without proper licensing and distributed it without government supervision mechanisms," said Ade Safri in a written statement on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Ade Safri conveyed that on Monday, June 29, 2026, investigators have designated two individuals as suspects in this case. The first suspect is S, also known as U, 59 years old, a businessperson at the crime scene (TKP) in Pondok Gede, who was involved in selling illegal cyanide to illegal gold miners in West Sumatra Province.
Meanwhile, the second suspect is DW, 40 years old, a businessperson at TKP Kalideres, involved in supplying illegal cyanide to illegal mining areas in South Sulawesi and Central Kalimantan.
In this disclosure, the authorities also confiscated evidence from three crime scenes, namely 54 drums of cyanide at a rental house in Pondok Gede, Bekasi; 160 drums in a warehouse in Kalideres, West Jakarta; and 148 drums in an expedition warehouse in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta. Ade Safri stated that the total value of the confiscated evidence currently amounts to around Rp14.55 billion.
For the safety of residential areas and the effectiveness of the investigation, Ade Safri mentioned that all hazardous evidence has been evacuated and collected in a warehouse in the warehousing center of Kosambi, Tangerang, Banten.
For their actions, the two suspects are charged with multiple offenses, namely Article 106 jo Article 24 paragraph 1 of Law Number 7 of 2014 concerning Trade (as amended in Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation) with a penalty of 4 years in prison or a fine of Rp10 billion. Additionally, they are also charged with Article 62 jo Article 8 paragraph 1 of Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection with a penalty of 5 years in prison or a fine of Rp2 billion.
Read: Imported Grapes for Free Meal Program Found to Contain Cyanide in Sukoharjo, Central Java
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