Lanal Babel Thwarts Timah Smuggling Allegedly Destinations For Malaysia

The Joint Task Force Team Lantamal III and the Intelligence Unit Lanal Babel thwarted efforts to smuggle about five tons of lead sand on Kelayang Beach, Sungailiat, Babel, Tuesday (29/7/2025). ANTARA/HO-Humas Lanal Babel

PangkaPLPINANG - Pangkalan TNI Angkatan Laut (Lanal) Bangka Belitung Islands (Babel) thwarted the smuggling of about five tons of illegal tin ore allegedly to be smuggled into Malaysia.

"Today we managed to thwart the smuggling of about five tons of tin ore at Kelayang Beach, Bangka Regency," said Danlanal of the Babylon Islands Marine Colonel (P) Ipul Saepul in Pangkalpinang, Tuesday, July 29, as reported by ANTARA.

He said the Bangka Belitung Naval Base through the Joint Task Force Team Lantamal III and the Intelligence Unit Lanal Babel thwarted an attempt to smuggle tin sand of about five tons and secured a truck loaded with lead sand which was planned to be carried out and loaded onto a ship on Kelayang Beach, Sungailiat District, Bangka Regency on Tuesday (29/7/2025).

"Currently, the evidence of being caught in the form of a cold diesel truck, two transport workers and a cargo of approximately five tons of tin sand or 100 tin sacks were successfully secured," he said.

He stated that the evidence and two transport workers would be carried out in an in-depth investigation at the Babel Islands Main Command Headquarters (Moko) for further investigation.

"The chronology of this arrest began with the joint task force team receiving information about the smuggling of tin sand around the waters of Kelayang Beach, Sungailiat," he said.

Furthermore, on Saturday (26/7) at around 18.00 WIB, the joint task force team departed to carry out monitoring and reconnaissance around Kelayang Beach, Sungailiat.

At around 23.45 WIB, the joint task force team carried out a search on the beach. After arriving at the location around Kelayang Beach, the task force team ambushed a truck loaded with lead sand ready to be transferred to a boat that would be carried by boat to a fast boat that was suspected of being smuggled into Malaysia.

"During the ambush, there were about 11 transport workers who ran from the location while two transport workers were arrested," he said.

IpuSaepul said efforts to thwart about five tons of illegal tin ore were suspected of being smuggled into Malaysia, as a commitment of the Indonesian Navy to eradicate tin smuggling in the area.