Jambi Police Arrest 4 Perpetrators Of Fuel Counterfeiting

Jambi Police revealed a case of counterfeiting and refining fuel, in Jambi, Monday (4/12/2023). (ANTARA/Tuyani)

JAMBI - The Directorate of Special Investigation and Crimes (Ditreskrimsus) of the Jambi Police arrested four perpetrators of counterfeiting and refining of fuel oil (BBM) in Samaran Village, Pauh District, Sarolangun Regency.

Director of Criminal Investigation at the Jambi Police, Kombes Christian Tory, said that the disclosure of the illegal fuel forgery and purification case occurred on Thursday (30/11) when members of the police went to the crime scene (TKP) at around 23.30 WIB.

From the crime scene, the police found illegal fuel counterfeiting and refining activities. Then the team took action at the crime scene and arrested four perpetrators who were workers at the oil counterfeiting site.

The four perpetrators were MT, E, IW and LP. From the scene, his party also secured a number of pieces of evidence, including an iron furnace, an tedmon with a capacity of 1,000 liters, a blower, a pump engine, a hose, a jerry can with a capacity of 35 liters containing a black liquid resembling petroleum.

"Their mode of operation received crude oil which was suspected to have been drilled by illegal oil and then taken to the location of the purification site," he said.

Tory explained that this purification activity will produce several derivatives of products such as gasoline, kerosene and diesel.

Based on information from the perpetrators, oil processing activities were carried out by inserting crude oil into an iron furnace which was then heated using a fire through an iron pipe that had been connected to a blower fan.

Furthermore, after being heated for five hours from the stove which was connected to a small iron pipe passing through the water tub to cool the pipe, then the oil derivative will come out after 17 hours of processing.

From the use of 70 drums of crude oil, the perpetrators can produce five drums of gasoline, 50 drums of kerosene and 10 drums of diesel.

The results of this crude oil counterfeiting are marketed by perpetrators to the wider community, ranging from sales of oil shops, mining industry activities, plantations to other activities that use diesel fuel.

According to Tory, it is suspected that sales are not only in the Jambi Province, but are also sold outside Jambi Province.

As a result of his actions, said Tory, the four perpetrators were subject to Article 54 of Law Number 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Gas, with the threat of imprisonment for six years and a fine of up to IDR 60 billion.