Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. A joint Task Force deployed at PT Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park’s (IWIP) private airport in North Maluku foiled an attempt to smuggle mineral materials on Friday. 

Authorities detained a Chinese citizen, identified as MY, after finding five packages of mixed nickel powder and four packages of pure nickel powder on a Super Air Jet flight bound for Manado, North Sulawesi.

“The suspect is now being questioned by the relevant authorities, and the seized mineral samples will undergo further examination,” said Anang Supriatna, the Head of the Legal Information Center of the Attorney General’s Office, on Saturday (6/12/2025), as reported by antaranews.com.

The activity was detected by the Halilintar Forest Area Enforcement Task Force, which monitors illegal mining-related movements. Since 29 November 2025, the government has stationed a multi-agency Task Force, consisting of the military, the police, the Customs, the Immigration, The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), AirNav, and quarantine officers, at PT IWIP Airport to strengthen security and monitoring.

Officials stated that the interception highlights the importance of state presence in private aviation facilities and reinforces national resource protection.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)