TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Police has revealed an illegal face mask production at a warehouse in North Jakarta on Thursday, February 27, 2020. The warehouse is located in the Central Cakung warehouse complex, Cilincing.

The two warehouses belong to PT Uno Mitra Persada as the marketing company and PT Unotec Mega Persada as the producer. The police secured 60 cardboard boxes containing 3,000 boxes of face masks ready to be distributed.

Metro Jaya Regional Police Public Relations Head Commissioner Yusri Yunus, said that the production site does not have a marketing permit. The companies are also suspected of hoarding face masks when there is a scarcity due to the Coronavirus.

"This place produces [masks] illegally, they do not follow the standards and do not have permission from the Ministry of Health," Yusri said on Friday, February 28, 2020.

Yusri explained that the police initially got information about the existence of a warehouse that was used as a place to store face masks. Following an investigation, the Police later discovered that the warehouse was used as an illegal mask production facility.

The police arrested 10 people identified as YRH, who is the person in charge, EE the warehouse keeper, F, DK, SL, SF, and ER as workers, D machine operators, and S and LF as drivers. Based on the results of the investigation, the suspects have been operating this place since January 2020. "They do not have a production permit, do not have SNI, and do not have a Ministry of Health permit," Yusri said.

The suspects will be charged with Article 107 of Law No. 7 of 2014 concerning Trade. The article stipulates penalties for businesses that violate the prohibition of hoarding staple goods in a certain amount and time when scarcity, price fluctuation or trade barriers occurred," Yusri said.

ADAM PRIREZA | GALUH KURNIA RAMADHANI (INTERN TRANSLATOR)