Buy Cheap Selling, Subsidized Fuel Abuser Arrested At Lebak Police

Dozens of jerry cans of evidence of misuse of Subsidized Fuel at the Lebak Banten Police Station/ Photo: Doc. Lebak Police

The Lebak Police Satreskrim secured a truck carrying 3.85 tons of subsidized fuel in Lebak, Banten. The fuel was allegedly purchased from gas stations for retail resale at a higher price.

Lebak Police Chief AKBP Wiwin Setiawan said the perpetrator with the initials AI (26) was suspected of buying Pertalite at a public gas station (SPBU) in Bogor.

"As we know, Pertamina prohibits gas stations from serving Pertalite purchases using jerry cans or the like to be resold to retailers," Wiwin said in a written statement, Friday, March 17.

Wiwin explained that AI was suspected of buying fuel using a pickup. The fuel was then collected in jerry cans for further distribution to Lebak.

"Buy using small-wheeled vehicles, then collected, then transported by truck and distributed to Lebakgedong and Cipanas sub-districts," he explained.

He said AI had acted 10 times from December 2022. In total, 110 jerry cans of 35 liters were secured by the police.

"The total fuel that was secured was 3.85 tons or almost 4 tons," he said.

AI is suspected of buying fuel at a price of Rp. 10,500 per liter and selling it to retailers of Rp. 11,000 to Rp. 12,000 per liter. The perpetrator's profit from the price difference was Rp. 500-1,500 per liter.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Lebak Police, Iptu Andi Kurniady, said that AI brought the subsidized fuel in the early hours of the morning. The police had chased the perpetrators for trying to escape. The perpetrator was arrested in Cipanas District on Friday last week, March 10, at 05.00 WIB.

"The mode is in the early hours of the morning, around 4-5 a.m., so that people don't know. The pursuit was carried out because when they stopped the perpetrators from running away and were arrested in Cipanas," said Andi.

AI was charged with Article 55 of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Gas as amended in Article 40 number 9 of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 2 of 2022 concerning Job Creation. Perpetrators face a maximum imprisonment of 6 years or a maximum fine of IDR 60 billion.