PEKANBARU - The Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Riau Regional Police has dismantled an illegal gold storage and processing syndicate resulting from gold mining without a permit in Kuantan Singingi Regency.
Director of Special Criminal Investigation of the Riau Police, Kombes Ade Kuncoro, said the disclosure of the case began with a report from the public through the National Police Call Center 110.
Following up on the report, the police conducted an investigation until raiding an illegal gold processing location in Benai Kecil Village, Benai District, on Monday night, February 2.
"The team secured five people at the first location. One person with the initials HM was determined as a suspect because he played a role as a gold burner, while the other four still had witness status," said Ade in Pekanbaru, Antara, Tuesday, February 3.
The four witnesses are known as traditional miners with initials NP, HL, RO, and PR. From the location of the raid, the police seized a number of evidence in the form of gold grains, burning tools, and illegal gold purification equipment.
The development of the case led investigators to the arrest of another suspect with the initials US who was suspected of being a collector and controller of gold storage activities resulting from illegal mining in the area.
"From the suspect's residence, we seized cash amounting to Rp. 66.58 million and a number of other evidence related to the illegal gold storage activity," said Ade.
During the search, the police also found methamphetamine and ecstasy pills along with inhalants. The evidence of narcotics was then handed over to the Riau Police Narcotics Investigation Directorate for further handling.
Ade explained that the suspect US was suspected of coordinating illegal gold mining activities in the Danau Boton area, ranging from arranging the location of the burn, buying gold from miners, sharing the results, to managing around 25 rafts of gold miners.
For their actions, the two suspects were charged with Article 161 of Law Number 3 of 2020 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining with a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to Rp. 100 billion.
"Investigators are still investigating this case by examining witnesses and tracing the possibility of the involvement of other parties," said Ade.
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