Indonesia police seize 3 smuggled aircraft engines worth $1.6 million

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3 hours ago

Batam (ANTARA) – Police in Riau Islands have uncovered the illegal importation of three used aircraft engines from Singapore valued at approximately 30 billion rupiah ($1.6 million), officials announced on Thursday.

The Riau Islands Regional Police seized the turbojet engines in the Batu Ampar district of Batam on August 15, according to police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Nona Pricillia Ohei.

Each engine is estimated to be worth around 10 billion rupiah ($556,000).

Four suspects—identified by their initials LH, AE, AS, and DJ—have been named in connection with the smuggling operation.

Their roles ranged from arranging shipment contracts and administrative logistics to organizing buyers and distribution.

The engines had been stored in Batam for seven months before they were intercepted during a warehouse transfer.

“The items were held in Batam for seven months. Rather than being sent directly to their final destination, they were held back while shipping documents were altered,” Head of Sub-Directorate I for Industry and Trade Investigation at the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Riau Islands Regional Police, Police Commissioner Paksi Eka Saputra, said during a press conference in Batam on Thursday.

Investigating officers found that the shipment documents listed several shell companies that were no longer operational. The used engines arrived in Batam aboard a dry-stack construction vessel and were ultimately destined for Jakarta, where they were to be resold as aviation spare parts.

Indonesian trade law strictly prohibits the commercial importation of used goods unless specific exemptions are granted by the central government.

Police noted that further arrests remain possible as the investigation into secondary logistics entities continues.