Avsec Officers Bribed Rp11 Million Pass Lobster Via X-Ray, Here's The Syndicate Scheme At Soetta Airport

A number of suspects in the lobster clear seed smuggling case were displayed in public by the Soetta Airport City Police, Friday (25/7/2025). (ANTARA/Azmi Samsul Maarif)

TANGERANG - Airport security officers or aviation security (avsec) at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Cargo Terminal (Soetta), Tangerang, are suspected of receiving a reward of up to IDR 11 million to help smuggle lobster clear seeds abroad.

"Starting from the person who packs lobster seeds, he gets Rp. 1 million, until the avsec person who passes through X-Ray gets Rp. 11 million," said Soetta Airport Police Chief Kombes Ronald Sipayung in Tangerang, Antara, Friday, July 25.

Ronald said this case was part of a smuggling syndicate that had acted at Soetta Airport three times from March to July 2025.

In this disclosure, the police have arrested seven suspects, five of whom are avsec officers on duty in the X-Ray Cargo Terminal area.

The suspects had the initials RS (38) and ABR (25) as lobster seeders, as well as AW (40), VD (26), SN (25), F (25), and RR (27) as avsec officers.

Their roles are different. RS and ABR packed lobsters, while the other five passed evidence through an X-Ray examination, Ronald explained.

In this case, the authorities secured 710,770 clear lobster seeds which were suspected to be smuggled into Vietnam through the Riau Islands (Batam) route.

According to Ronald, the disclosure began with information on the delivery of lobster seeds to Batam which was then developed with the Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Riau Islands Police.

"We managed to secure the perpetrators in Jakarta after developing information," he said.

The police have also named seven other suspects on the wanted list (DPO). They include B, who accommodated suspects AW and VD, MEP and KJ, owners of lobster seeds, T, A, and M, who prepared and procured TSK goods, other avsec officers on duty at the X-Ray Cargo Terminal.

The suspects were charged with multiple layers of articles, namely Article 92 in conjunction with Article 26 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation Article 88 of Law Number 31 of 2004 concerning Fisheries Article 87 in conjunction with Article 34 of Law Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish and Plant Quarantine.

"The threat is 6 years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp. 1.5 billion," said Ronald.