Police Hunt For Rosewood Loggers In Trenggalek Forest Who Flee With Pajero When Ambushed

The remaining pile of rosewood at the Tenggong Forest logging site, Trenggalek (ANTARA/HO - JP)

TRENGGALEK - The Trenggalek Police Ambush Team is still hunting for the mastermind behind the logging of dozens of rare rosewood species in forest areas in the Tenggong Village area, Trenggalek, East Java.

"The perpetrator with the initial S is still at large. Our team identified this perpetrator who was the mastermind in illegal logging activities in the Tenggong Forest area, Karangan District, Trenggalek," said the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Trenggalek Police, Iptu Agus Salim, as quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, February 12.

Allegedly, S is now running out of town. The police have traced the address of the timber entrepreneur. It is even suspected that the thefts he has been carrying out have been going on for years.

There are tens of dozens to tens of years of rosewood trees that have been looted.

Perhutani officers have identified many logs of logged rosewood stumps within the state forest area, especially in the Tenggong Hamlet area, Jatiprahu Village, Karangan District, Trenggalek.

The role of S as the mastermind in the series of logging rosewood trees has also been confirmed by two suspects who were the executors, loggers, and transporters of the illegal logging.

"From Perhutani's statement, this case has been known since 2020 and the potential suspect with the initial S is actually Perhutani's target because he often commits it but has not been able to prove it. He's a lumberjack," he said.

Agus explained that the suspected perpetrator S fled during an ambush while escorting a truck carrying dozens of stolen rosewood logs to a warehouse in Durenan District.

When the truck was stopped by the officers, S, who was driving a Pajero behind the truck, immediately stepped on the gas and fled. Currently, he is on the wanted list (DPO).

In total, 31 rosewood logs of various sizes have been cut down and are ready to be shipped.

The plan is for timber stolen from within the state forest area to be brought to a warehouse in the Durenan area and later sent out of the region.

Rosewood is included in the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endaged Species) list or the appendix II international trade convention. For this reason, there is a mechanism regulated in the Decree of the Minister of Forestry Number 447/Kpts-II/2003 concerning Administration for the Taking or Catching and Distribution of Wild Plants and Animals.

For domestic needs, transportation of rosewood must have official documents, namely the Domestic Plants and Animals Transport Certificate (SATS-DN) and the Foreign Plants and Animals Transport Certificate (SATS-LN) for overseas needs from the Center for Conservation and Natural Resources ( BBKSDA).