Indonesian Navy Fails To Smuggle 466,000 Lobster Fry Worth IDR 46.7 Billion

The Commander of the Indonesian Navy's First Military Command, Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah, shows the lobster seeds that were thwarted by the Indonesian Navy in the Riau Archipelago. ANTARA/Jude

BATAM - The Indonesian Navy thwarted the smuggling of 466,000 lobster fry stored in 95 boxes of synthetic cork in the waters of Kelapa Gading Island, Riau Archipelago, which was estimated at IDR 46.7 billion.

“What we have secured are of two types, namely pearl lobster seeds and sand lobster seeds. The lobster seeds to be smuggled in are estimated to cost Rp 46.7 billion. The lobster seeds are planned to be smuggled abroad", said the Commander of the Indonesian Navy's First Fleet Command, Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah, in Batam, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, May 25.

The fry will be sent overseas because there are no domestic buyers.

"In Singapore, there are only intermediaries, Vietnam is the only recipient because there is a breeding ground there", he said.

The failure to smuggle lobster seeds, he said, was carried out by personnel from the Batam Navy Base and the Tanjungbalai Karimun Navy Base, who had previously received information that there would be a fast motorboat carrying lobster seeds since Saturday, May 21.

"The fast boat is expected on Monday, May 23 to pass in the waters of Kelapa Gading Island, Riau Islands", he said.

After receiving this information, the personnel of the two Indonesian Navy bases immediately sealed off the waters.

“Then on Monday at 08.15 WIB, we detected a fast boat traveling at high speed. But the perpetrators saw the officers and then turned their speed boat around. The officers who saw them turned the boat around and gave chase and gave warning shots, but they ignored the officers' warnings", he said.

Officers continued to chase the ship while giving repeated warning shots, but the perpetrators turned the boat to the west side of the island and ran the ship to Kelapa Gading Island.

"We found the ship that ran aground, but the culprit managed to escape so we haven't been able to catch the culprit", he said.

They managed to get the data of the perpetrators because there were some whose identities were left behind. "There are approximately five people and we are currently looking, hopefully, we can find the perpetrators", he said.