Blitar Police Reveal Sales of Mixed Pesticides

BLITAR - Police officers from the Blitar Resort, East Java, revealed a case of selling counterfeit pesticides mixed with a mixture of various kinds of pesticides and water.

Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Blitar Police, AKP M Gananta, stated that the disclosure of the case began with complaints from the public who complained that the weed killer he bought was not effective when used. It's not that the grass is dead, it's getting more fertile when used.

"There are reports from the public that weed killers, which are supposed to kill grass, actually make the grass fertile," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, July 28.

The police then investigated the case. The police suspected that the pesticide for the weed killer was fake.

The police uncovered the case by raiding the production site for the mixed pesticide, namely in Jeblog Village, Selopuro District, Blitar Regency.

The police arrested one perpetrator with the initials MF (22), who is a resident of Kalipuro Village/District, Blitar Regency.

The mode used, said Gananta, was by buying pesticides with various brands. The pesticide is then mixed with other chemicals as well as water and then put back into the bottles.

"He bought mixed and mixed pesticides. From the results of the investigation, this suspect has been carrying out the action for one year," he said.

One bottle of genuine agricultural medicine is mixed with well water and repackaged into 3-4 bottles of fake agricultural medicine. The bottles are then labeled with a certain brand of agricultural medicine and sold.

These fake agricultural medicines are sold at more affordable prices, starting at IDR 40,000 to IDR 70,000 per bottle. These goods are then sold in the Blitar area and the surrounding cities.

In the action, the perpetrator was assisted by four workers. They can produce up to 20 cartons a day, each containing 12 bottles of fake pesticides.

Apart from detaining the perpetrators, the police also confiscated hundreds of bottles of agricultural medicines of various brands. Currently, all evidence has also been secured.

The police charged MF with Article 123 in conjunction with Article 75 letter b, Law Number 22 of 2019 concerning the Sustainable Agricultural Cultivation System, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.