Ditpolairud South Kalimantan Police Unload Illegal Logging Wood Business, 8 People Become Suspects

Director of Polairud Polda South Kalimantan Kombes Andi Adnan Syafruddin accompanied by the Head of Public Relations of the South Kalimantan Police, Kombes Adam Erwindi, showed evidence of wood confiscated in Banjarmasin, Thursday (13/6/2024). (ANTARA/Firman)

The Directorate of Water and Air Police of the South Kalimantan Regional Police (Ditpolairud Polda Kalsel) succeeded in dismantling the illegal timber business resulting from the addition of forest areas in Central Kalimantan (Kalteng) by arresting eight suspects.

"We confiscated a total of 90 cubic meters of processed wood," said Director of Polairud Polda South Kalimantan Kombes Andi Adnan Syafruddin in Banjarmasin as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, June 13.

The first case was revealed on May 9, 2024 when the South Kalimantan Police Ditpolairud Sub-Directorate team led by AKBP Jeremyas Putranto found a truck carrying 32 cubic meters of meranti processed wood at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, to Surabaya.

After checking documents related to the wood transported, the Certificate of Forest Results (SKSHH) turned out to be fake.

In this case, a total of six perpetrators were arrested, namely HS, LAS, M, AA, SR and KH.

They have different roles ranging from wood providers obtained from forest areas in Sei Hanyo, Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan to the task of preparing fake documents and sending them to Surabaya.

"The decline in January to May 2024 has made four shipments of wood to Surabaya, and on the fifth shipment we failed," explained Andi Adnan.

Then the next illegal logging case was revealed in the coastal area of North Hulu Sungai Regency when two ships, namely KM Berkat Rahmi 1 and KM Berkat Rahmi 2 transported 31.5 cubic meters of wood and 28.5 cubic meters of wood, respectively.

Without being able to show SKSHH, two ship owners, namely HP and HD, were now named suspects and detained for carrying processed wood from forest additions in Sungai Jaya Village, South Barito Regency, Central Kalimantan.

From the two cases caught in the period May to early June, the suspects were charged with Article 83 paragraph 1 letter b in conjunction with Article 88 paragraph 1 of the Republic of Indonesia Law No. 18 of 2013 concerning Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction with a minimum imprisonment of 1 year and a maximum of 5 years and a fine of at least Rp. 500 thousand to Rp. 2.5 billion.

"Law enforcement against the destruction of natural resources from this forest is the commitment of the South Kalimantan Police to preserve it," said Andi Adnan accompanied by the Head of Public Relations of the South Kalimantan Police, Kombes Pol Adam Erwindi.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Protection and Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems (PKSDAE) of the South Kalimantan Forestry Service, Pantja Satata, expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the success of the South Kalimantan Police Ditpolairud in uncovering the illegal timber business case.

"Of course, our limited authority is only to monitor forest areas, so law enforcement like this is very helpful in order to suppress forest additional actions without permission," he said.