Inp.polri.go.id - Batam. The Indonesian National Police (INP) have officially named 11 crew members from the Riau Islands as suspects in an international smuggling operation involving 7.5 tons of tin sand. 

The suspects, who were recently deported from Malaysia after serving time for immigration violations, are now facing serious criminal charges under Indonesia’s mining and trade regulations.

"They have been officially named as suspects following intensive examination at the Riau Islands Regional Police Headquarters," confirmed Brigadier General Moch Irhamni, the Director of Special Crimes at the INP Criminal Investigation Agency, on Saturday (31/2026), as quoted by antaranews.cp,.

The case involves the illegal transport of tin sand from Bangka Belitung to Malaysia, with an estimated total value—including the vessel, of approximately Rp 4.3 billion (1.1 million Malaysian Ringgit). 

The suspects, all residents of Belakangpadang Island and reportedly related to one another, were originally detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) in October 2025 for entering Malaysian waters without documentation. 

After serving three months in a Malaysian detention center, they were escorted back to Indonesia by the INP’s investigators to face prosecution for the high-value mineral theft.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)