inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Indonesian National Police (INP) reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the nation's natural resources. The INP Directorate of Certain Crimes of the Criminal Investigation Agency, along with the Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance, successfully uncovered illegal mining and tin sand smuggling from the Bangka Belitung Islands to Malaysia.
This disclosure is the result of swift, measured, and professional cross-agency collaboration to prevent state losses and halt the theft of natural resources.
The case began on Monday, February 23, 2026, when Customs officers received information about a vessel suspected of carrying illegal tin sand to be smuggled to Malaysia.
On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, officers successfully seized the vessel KM Rezeki Laut II, carrying 319 sacks of tin sand without proper documentation.
The vessel, along with its captain and four crew members, were subsequently handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
Based on the investigation, police arrested two suspects, identified as A and M, on Belitung Island. Both are suspected of receiving, managing, and shipping illegal tin sand.
The perpetrators are known to have shipped at least four illegal tin sand shipments to Malaysia, with the final destination being a smelter in Malaysia, identified by the initials M.
Furthermore, the captain and three crew members of the KM Rezeki Laut II have also been named suspects for transporting illegal tin sand without a permit.
On Saturday, February 28, 2026, an investigative team visited the illegal tin sand processing site in Kelapa Kampit, East Belitung Regency. At the location, police found a shaking table used to refine tin ore, confiscated evidence, and erected a police line.
The person responsible for solving the case, Brigadier General Irhamni, delivered a statement directly to reporters.
"The purpose of our visit is to investigate the criminal case of smuggling and illegal tin sand mining. This location is the processing facility where the smuggling occurred, which we, along with our Customs and Excise colleagues, arrested yesterday," said Irhamni.
(ad/ndt/pr/rs)
