Fugitive financier behind illegal logging in Kalimantan arrested

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3 hours ago

Palangka Raya, C Kalimantan (ANTARA) – Indonesian forestry authorities have arrested a 46-year-old man accused of financing an illegal logging operation in Central Kalimantan, ending a three-month manhunt.

The suspect, identified by his initials LF, also known as BG, was apprehended on Sunday evening (September 6) in East Kotawaringin District during a joint operation involving the Ministry of Forestry and the Central Kalimantan Regional Police.

Head of the ministry’s Kalimantan Forestry Law Enforcement Agency Leonardo Gultom said in a statement received here on Tuesday that the arrest marked a significant breakthrough in an ongoing investigation into an illegal timber processing operation in the area.

The case began in early June when authorities uncovered an illegal timber processing site in the Seranau forest area. During the raid, officials seized around 70 illegally logged trees, confiscated a circular saw, and detained three workers for questioning.

Based on evidence and witness testimony collected at the site, investigators identified LF as the mastermind who financed the operation and hired workers to process the timber.

LF has been formally named a suspect and charged under Indonesia’s forestry and environmental protection laws, which prohibit the extraction, processing, and possession of timber without valid permits.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp2.5 billion (approximately US$141,683).

The ministry’s Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho emphasized that the arrest of the financier reflected a strategic effort to target the masterminds behind environmental crimes rather than merely punishing low-level field operators.

“Law enforcement must apprehend the parties responsible for the entire operation,” Nugroho stressed.