Gakkum Kemenhut arrests owner of hundreds of illegal logs from North Morowali

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Forestry has named a person who owns hundreds of illegal jungle logs as a suspect after thwarting an attempt to transport wood from Central Sulawesi to South Sulawesi.

Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for Sulawesi Region, Ali Bahri, said the suspect with the initials H was established as the owner of mixed jungle wood which had previously been secured by officers in North Morowali Regency in January.

"The development of this case shows the government's commitment to seriously addressing any illegal forest product circulation practices," Ali Bahri said in a statement in Jakarta, Antara, Friday, March 13.

The determination of the suspect is part of the government's efforts to take action against all parties involved in forest crimes, not only perpetrators in the field but also parties behind illegal activities.

Ali explained that the suspect H admitted ownership of hundreds of mixed jungle logs that had previously been secured by officers.

The wood is known to have been transported from Beteleme Village in North Morowali Regency with the intention of being shipped to South Sulawesi.

In this case, officers also found a document, the Certificate of the Legality of Processed Wood Forest (SKSHHKO), which was suspected to be false.

However, the suspect H admitted that he did not know the origin of the document.

Investigators are currently still conducting a search to uncover the party who made or provided the document.

The determination of the suspect H is the result of the development of the investigation from the previous case, when the Rapid Reaction Forestry Police Unit (SPORC) team secured two trucks transporting hundreds of illegal jungle logs.

In this case, investigators had previously named two other suspects with initials Y and F who were suspected of being field operators for transporting wood.

From the results of the in-depth investigation, the identity of the wood owner was finally revealed and was known as H.

If found guilty in court, the suspect can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to IDR 2.5 billion.