Indonesian Navy foils smuggling of 75.7 tons of illegal tin

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3 hours ago

Tanjungpandan, Bangka Belitung (ANTARA) – A joint Indonesian Navy team foiled the alleged smuggling of 75.7 tons of illegal tin sand worth about Rp76.041 billion (US$4.7 million) from East Belitung District in Bangka Belitung Islands Province to Malaysia.

Navy Fleet Command chief Vice Adm. Denih Hendrata said the operation resulted from coordinated intelligence and maritime enforcement efforts.

“Joint Navy personnel successfully uncovered a series of activities allegedly aimed at smuggling tin sand to Malaysia,” Denih said at Mendanau Navy Post in Tanjungpandan on Wednesday.

The operation began Sunday (Aug. 2) at about 7 p.m. local time after intelligence indicated suspicious activity at PT Prima Budiarta Nusa’s Pasir Pier in Lilangan Village, East Belitung.

Officers seized a truck carrying about eight tons of tin sand and detained three people allegedly preparing to transfer the cargo to a speedboat.

Investigators then searched several other storage sites. On Monday (Aug. 3), they raided a warehouse in Lenggang Village, Gantung Subdistrict, finding 50 tons of illegal tin sand.

On Tuesday (Aug. 4), officers searched a shop-house in Batu Penyu Village and found 10 tons of tin sand packed in 200 sacks.

On Saturday (Aug. 8), investigators expanded the operation to Tanjungpandan, seizing five tons of tin sand in 100 sacks and securing it at Mendanau Navy Post.

“Then on Thursday (Aug. 13), the team seized about 2.7 tons, or 56 sacks, of tin sand from a rented house in Dukong Village,” he said.

On Sunday (Aug. 16), the Navy’s special tin task force and Bangka Belitung naval intelligence unit seized a Mazda Turbo double-cab pickup, license plate BN 8014 QY, found overturned and unattended.

From the vehicle, allegedly used to transport illegal tin off Bangka Island, officers seized a homemade FN-type firearm, five 9-mm rounds, five sacks of tin sand, a drug pipe, and a machete.

The operation yielded a total of 75.7 tons of recovered tin sand, Denih said.

The estimated potential state loss prevented by the seizures was about Rp76.041 billion (US$4.7 million), based on calculations, he said.