Operating Since 2023, The Portable Gas Cylinder Oplos Gang Earns IDR 93 Thousand Per Can

Fake portable gas cylinders mixed/ Photo: Rizky Sulistio/ VOI

JAKARTA - Pengoplos gas subsidized 3 kg to a portable gas cylinder measuring 230 grams in North Jakarta earned a profit of up to Rp93 thousand per gas cylinder.

"From this one subsidized gas cylinder, they oplos 11 to 12 cans of portable gas and the profits obtained ranging from Rp. 38 thousand to Rp. 93 thousand," said Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit (Kasat Reskrim) of the Tanjung Priok Port Police AKP I Gusti Ngurah Putu Khrisna Narayana, to reporters, Wednesday, September 17.

According to him, the profits generated from this transaction, if calculated, are quite a lot of value.

"The value of the profits they get is certainly a lot, if one gas cylinder only makes a profit of up to Rp93 thousand and the business that has been carried out for a long time, it will certainly provide big profits," he said.

He added that the six suspects with the initials IR (26), BK (32), FS (38), NT (20), HT (38) and AA (24) have been carrying out this activity since early 2023 and some are in 2024.

They carry out mixed actions with simple tools and are not carried out with technology or special skills. In addition, the background of these perpetrators is on average unemployed and there are odd workers and no one has ever worked as a gas maker or the like.

"They oplos this gas from their respective homes and they sell this portable gas online," said the 2016 Police Academy graduate.

One of the six perpetrators admitted that he had been carrying out this action since 2024 and he sold 40 cans of portable gas every day.

"Usually sold for at least 40 cans," he said.

He admitted that he learned to mix subsidized gas after following the tutorial on social media.

I study and try and then sell 'online',' he said while adding that they sell portable gas from IDR 15 to IDR 20,000 per can.

Previously, the Tanjung Priok Port Police Chief AKBP Martuasah H Tobing stated that the six perpetrators were charged with Article 32 paragraph 2 junto article 30 and Article 31 of Law Number 2 of 1981 concerning legal Metrology. Then article 62 paragraph 1 junto article 8 paragraph 1 letter B and C Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection.

Then, Article 55 of Law Number 22 of 2001 concerning petroleum and natural gas which was amended into Article 40 number 9 of Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning the stipulation of Government Regulations in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning job creation.

"All of these perpetrators are threatened with a maximum imprisonment of six years," he said.