These 3 Men Who Worked On Subsidized Fertilizers Were Arrested In Banyuasin

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - Banyuasin Police, South Sumatra arrested three people suspected of mixing subsidized fertilizers that have been troubling farmers.

The three perpetrators, who are now suspects, have the initials FR (36), RS (24) and M (44) residents of Santan Sari Village, Sembawa District.

The Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Banyuasin Police, AKP Hary Dinar, explained that the three suspects were arrested during an operation to raid a house in Santan Sari Village, last Wednesday, July 20.

Incidentally, when they were raided, they were mixing fertilizer.

The arrest operation was carried out by the Satreskrim of the Banyuasin Police from the results of the investigation after following up on reports from farmers who were restless over the circulation of oplosan fertilizer in Banyuasin in the last few months.

"The suspect is FR the investor, then the hospital and M, the workers who mixed the government subsidized fertilizer," he said, Monday, July 25, quoted from Antara.

He explained that the suspect admitted that the subsidy fertilizer they had stolen was obtained from a broker in the Belitang, Ogan Komering Ulu Timur and Lampung regions.

From the broker, the suspects received two types of government subsidized fertilizers, namely Phosphate SP-36 and Phonska Lampung totaling 28.70 tons in hundreds of sacks with a purchase price of Rp. 200 thousand per sack.

The suspect removed the fertilizer from the sacks with the subsidized fertilizer brand and then, he continued, replaced it with non-subsidized branded fertilizer sacks and then sold it back to the farmers for Rp. 300 thousand per sack.

"Farmers are at a loss, of course, there is a price difference there and the quality of the fertilizer is doubtful," he said. The suspect was also circulating the marketing area for the mixed fertilizer, including Musi Banyuasin and Jambi Province.

The suspects have been arrested at the Banyuasin Police Headquarters for further investigation, along with evidence of hundreds of bags of SP-36 phosphate fertilizer, Phonska Lampung, non-subsidized fertilizer brand Mahkota TSP, Hi-Kay Medan, Hi-Kay Padang, Hai-Kay Palembang, six a roller of white sewing thread, eight rollers of yellow sewing thread, two sewing machines, a 60 kilogram scale and one unit of gadget.

They were charged with Article 122 Juncto 73 of Law No. 22 of 2019 concerning the sustainable agricultural cultivation system of Juncto Article 8 paragraph (1) letter e of Law number 8 of 1999 concerning consumer protection with a threat of 6 years imprisonment and a fine of Rp. 3 million.