The Smuggling of 100,000 Lobster Seeds Foiled by Police in Batam

Criminal

By Kamis, 21 Mei 2026 Pengunjung (723) 2 Mins Read

inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Riau Islands Regional Police foiled an attempt to smuggle approximately 100,000 lobster seed (BBL) suspected of being shipped overseas via Batam. The state loss from this illegal practice is estimated at IDR 10 billion.

In this case, police arrested two suspected perpetrators, identified as SS and DS. The Head of Public Relations of the Riau Islands Regional Police, Senior Superintendent Nona Pricillia Ohei, explained that DS was responsible for ordering the pickup of the goods, while SS acted as the courier transporting the BBL.

The case began with information about a shipment of lobster larvae from Jakarta to Batam on Wednesday (5/20/2026).

"A joint team then followed the vehicle carrying the suitcase containing the BBL from Hang Nadim International Airport to the Mega Legenda area before finally stopping it at around 8:00 a.m.," explained Nona, Thursday (5/21/2026).

The Director of Special Criminal Investigation at the Riau Islands Regional Police, Senior Superintendent Silvester Simamora, explained that the perpetrators used disguises by filling the suitcase with used rags, while the lobster larvae were placed in several plastic bags in certain areas of the suitcase.

"The airport courier was promised a wage of around IDR 2.5 million per suitcase, while the person who arranged the pickup received IDR 10 million. The final destination of the shipment is suspected to be Vietnam via transit routes to several countries, including Singapore," explained Silvester.

The perpetrators were charged under Article 88 (a) in conjunction with Article 35 (1) (a) of Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of up to IDR 2 billion.

Meanwhile, the Batam Marine Aquaculture Center stated that the results of the census showed a total seizure of 122,445 lobster seeds. Of these, 1,000 were set aside as evidence, while the remainder were released into the waters of Galang Baru to preserve Indonesia's marine resources.

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