TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Directorate General of Customs and Excise of Riau Islands, a joint team of the National Police crime unit, and Batam's Lantamal IV thwarted an attempt of lobster seeds smuggling in the waters of Berakit, Bintan, Riau Islands. The team confiscated 37,305 clear lobster seeds worth Rp23.6 billion.

"It started with valid information and investigation results regarding the presence of a 'ghost ship' that was planning to pick up neatly packaged lobster seeds to be illegally taken abroad," said a police official, Brig. Gen. Nunung Syaifuddin, in a written statement received by Tempo on October 17, 2024.

After learning about the ghost ship, he said the joint team pursued and captured the High-Speed Craft ship on October 14, 2024. The joint team also mapped out the land-based lobster seed smuggling efforts for two months.

Nunung said the land route in Sumatra is divided into two parts. First, the origin of the lobster seeds is from East Java, West Java, Banten, Lampung, and West Sumatra. Second, the perpetrators use the land route to smuggle lobster seeds through South Sumatra, Jambi, and Riau.

"Based on these two parts, the smuggling system used is a 'join cargo' system where all smuggled goods will be collected at one point," said the police.

The clear lobster seeds were released on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, in the waters of Anak Kanipan Batu, Karimun Regency.

According to Nunung, on October 14, the joint team confiscated evidence of 46 Styrofoam boxes containing 237,305 clear lobster seeds and 1 High-Speed Craft ship unit. The joint team is still in pursuit of two fugitive suspects, identified as CM and RI.

"Still in pursuit and identities have been obtained through the Police IT system, and the suspect (buyer) is still under investigation, suspected to be located abroad," she said.

Based on the investigation results, Nunung said the perpetrators used the modus operandi of collecting lobster seeds from the south coast of West Java, East Java, Banten, Lampung, and West Sumatra. After collecting the lobster seeds, the perpetrators gather in Jambi, South Sumatra, and Riau.

"They are then packaged and smuggled abroad using a High-Speed Craft (HSC), commonly known as a ghost ship," she said.

The police charged the perpetrators with Article 88 in conjunction with Article 16 paragraph (1) and/or Article 92 in conjunction with Article 26 (Paragraph) 1 of Law Number 31 of 2004 concerning Fisheries as amended by Law Number 45 of 2009 concerning Amendments to Law 31 of 2004 concerning Fisheries, as replaced by Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Ratification of the Labor Creation Law that occurred in the Indonesian Territory. With a maximum sentence of 8 years in prison and a fine of Rp1,500,000,000.

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