Batam Authorities Foil Lobster Seeds Smuggling Worth Rp1.3 Billion
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7 December 2020 10:31 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Finance Ministry’s directorate general of customs and excise on Sunday, December 6, arrested three smugglers attempting to illegally export 42,500 lobster seeds at the Batu Ampar harbor in Batam.
“The suspects are arrested at the fisheries quarantine headquarters for further investigation,” said Syarif Hidayat, director of international customs on Monday, December 7.
He explained that the arrest commenced after they had received a tip about an illegal export on lobster seeds that would be smuggled to Vietnam from Batam and Singapore. Due to this information, customs investigators tracked down the suspects aboard the Pelni KM Kelud ship that had been scheduled to depart on December 4.
Investigators searched the ship and found three bags that carried clothes that were filled with 157 plastic packages containing the lobster seeds. Authorities confiscated 41,500 sand lobster seeds and pearl lobsters.
According to a Tempo source knowledgeable in the lobster seeds trade claims the commodities confiscated in this operation is valued north of Rp1.3 billion.
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FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA