Two Perpetrators Of Smuggling 4,335 Fries Worth Rp. 650 Million In Bengkulu Arrested

BENGKULU - A joint team from the Directorate of Water and Air Police (Ditpolairud) of the Bengkulu Regional Police with the National Police's Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam) arrested two perpetrators of smuggling 4,335 fry worth more than Rp. 650 million in Kaur Regency, Bengkulu.

The Head of Public Relations of the Bengkulu Police, Kombes Sudarno, said the two perpetrators were the initials LAF (34) an entrepreneur and IS (45) who was a fisherman.

The two perpetrators were arrested on Thursday, July 15 evening at one of the hotels on Jalan Lintas Barat Sumatra, precisely in the Village Head Market, South Kau District, Kaur Regency, Bengkulu Province.

"This arrest was carried out using an undercover buy system. So we tried to buy the lobster seeds and then we caught them and made disclosures," said Sudarno, quoted by Antara, Friday, July 16.

According to him, the disclosure of this case is also the result of cooperation between the Bengkulu Police Ditpolairud and the crew of the Antareja Ship 7007 belonging to the National Police Headquarters Baharkam.

The two perpetrators, who are residents of Kaur Regency, Bengkulu Province, have been named suspects and are currently being held for further investigation.

Both were charged with Article 88 in conjunction with Article 16 of Law Number 45 of 2009 concerning Amendments to Law Number 31 of 2004 concerning Fisheries with a penalty of six years in prison and a fine of Rp. 1.5 billion.

"Bengkulu Police is concerned with disclosing cases or preventing the baby lobster trade, because it is not allowed," said Sudarno.

For the sake of the preservation of lobster in Bengkulu waters, evidence of lobster seeds as much as 4,335,000 tails were immediately released into the Sepang Bay Beach area, Bengkulu City.

Sudarno asked the people of Bengkulu not to catch and trade lobster seeds illegally without having a permit document, in order to maintain the potential of lobster along Bengkulu waters to remain abundant.