Smuggling Thousands Of Lobster Seeds In 18 Styrofoam Boxes, Palembang Police Arrest These 2 People

PALEMBANG - The Special Criminal Unit Team of the Palembang Police, South Sumatra, last Thursday, October 21, again arrested two suspected smugglers of fried shrimp or lobster seeds.

Suspects Fer (26) and Dn (32) were arrested with evidence of 18 boxes of foam (styrofoam boxes) containing thousands of lobster seeds when traveling by car from Indralaya, Ogan Ilir Regency to the Musi II bridge in Palembang.

Head of Criminal Investigation at the Palembang Police, Kompol Tri Wahyudi, said the two suspects were still under intensive investigation by investigators to reveal who was involved in the fried shrimp smuggling network.

"Meanwhile, to calculate the exact number of lobster seeds and keep them alive, we are coordinating with the local Fisheries Quarantine Center team", he said accompanied by the Special Unit Head of Special Operations Unit, AKP Tohirin, in Palembang, Antara, Friday, October 22.

He explained that the disclosure of the alleged case of smuggling lobster seeds was the third in recent months.

Previously, on August 20, 2021, his party found 70,407 lobster seeds worth IDR 11 billion from an unoccupied minibus with the police number BG 2815 YK.

Then in mid-September 2021, his party arrested a suspect AS (42) as a lobster seed courier in Palembang while traveling by minibus from Lampung to Jambi with evidence of 91,456 lobster seeds.

"For this act, the suspect is threatened with Article 92 Jo Article 26 paragraph (1) of the Indonesian Law No. 45 of 2009 concerning amendments to Law No. 31 of 2004 concerning fisheries with a criminal sanction of eight years in prison and a maximum fine of IDR 1.5 billion", he said.