Trillions of Rupiah in Lobster Seeds Evaporate on the South Sumatra Transit Route

South Sumatra is one of the main routes for BBL smuggling to Singapore and Malaysia before going to Vietnam.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Evidence of clear lobster seeds (BBL) that were planned to be smuggled to Singapore was presented to the media during a press conference at the Palembang Navy Station in South Sumatra on Monday (6/5/2024).

South Sumatra is a transit route for the smuggling of clear lobster seeds from Indonesia to Vietnam and Singapore. No half-hearted, the value is billions of rupiah. The country loses trillions of rupiah per year due to this smuggling.

The Palembang Navy Base foiled a plan to smuggle 99,648 clear lobster seeds (BBL) with an estimated value of Rp 15 billion in Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra, on Thursday (2/5/2024). According to the plan, the BBLs were intended to be shipped to Singapore with Vietnam as the final destination.

Commander Lanal Palembang Marine Colonel (P) Sandy Kurniawan at a press conference in Palembang, Monday (6/5/2024), said that the disclosure of the case began with an investigation and data collection carried out Lanal Palembang's Intel team a week before the arrest.

On Thursday around 2:00 PM, Lanal Palembang received a report that there would be a shipment of BBL from Teluk Betung Village, Pulau Rimau District, Banyuasin, headed for Singapore.

Also read: Government Targets PNBP of IDR 900 Billion from Lobster Seed Exports

After that, they formed the Fleet One Quick Response (F1QR) team which consisted of an intelligence unit as a land team and the TNI AL Sungai Lilin Maritime Potential Development (Binpotmar) as a sea team. At approximately 19.00, the ground team saw a black pick-up car heading towards the pier at Pasar Sumber, Teluk Betung Village.

The car was loading and unloading 18 white Styrofoam boxes onto a fast boat with a 200 PK engine. 30 minutes later, the F1QR team immediately arrested four perpetrators, with the initials BA (36), BP (29), RJ (27), and EW (30).

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Evidence of clear lobster seeds (BBL) that were planned to be smuggled to Singapore was presented to the media during a press conference at the Palembang Navy Station in South Sumatra on Monday (6/5/2024).

The F1QR team also secured a number of pieces of evidence, including 99,648 BBLs which were put in several small clear plastic bags inside the 18 Styrofoam boxes. ”Lobster seeds consist of sand and pearls. "The price of each lobster seed is around IDR 150,000, so the total value of the evidence is estimated at IDR 15 billion," said Sandy.

The four perpetrators violated Article 31 juncto (jo) Article 7 of Law Number 16 of 1992 concerning Animal, Fish and Plant Quarantine. Then Article 88 jo Article 16 Paragraph (1) Law No. 45/2009 concerning Fisheries. "The prohibition on illegal export of BBL is also regulated in Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Regulation Number 7/2024 concerning Management of Lobsters, Crabs and Crab," said Sandy.

Also read: Steps Back for Exports of Sea Sand and Lobster Seeds

Recurring cases

Sandy said that this incident was the first disclosure of the case of BBL smuggling in the South Sumatra region this year.

Previously, other agencies have revealed similar cases, including the joint team of the East Sumatra Regional Office of the Customs and Excise Agency and the South Sumatra Regional Police who thwarted the smuggling of 225,664 catfish with a value of Rp 33.4 billion in the Palembang area on June 18, 2021. The catfish were intended to be sent to Malaysia.

The Sumsel Regional Police's Water and Airborne Unit foiled the smuggling of 273,870 BBL valued at 27 billion rupiahs in the waters of Bunga Karang, Tanjung Lago District, Banyuasin, on July 25, 2022. The Sumsel Regional Police's Criminal Investigation Directorate also foiled the smuggling of 50,616 BBL worth 6 billion rupiahs at Kilometer 329 of the Palembang-Kayu Agung toll road, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, on November 28, 2023.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

The atmosphere before the press conference on the thwarting of the smuggling of clear lobster seeds at the Navy Base in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Monday (6/5/2024). According to the plan, the clear lobster seeds will be sent to Singapore with Vietnam as the final destination.

According to Sandy, with a similar pattern, it proves that the South Sumatra and Jambi regions are transit or connecting locations before smugglers take the BBL abroad, among others, to Singapore and Malaysia.

"Usually, they smuggle in certain seasons depending on the lobster's reproductive period, such as this month," said Sandy.

The Acting Director General of Marine and Fisheries Resource Supervision at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Pung Nugroho Saksono, expressed appreciation for the involvement of Lanal Palembang in thwarting this attempt at smuggling baby lobster. They really need the support of all parties to eradicate the smuggling of baby lobsters.

That's because the network of lobster seed smugglers is very extensive, namely in almost all Indonesian waters.

"That is because the network of lobster seed smugglers is very extensive, present in almost all Indonesian water regions. This network is also very difficult to track, especially due to the limited number of members in the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries," said Pung.

Very detrimental to the country

Pung stated that the smuggling of live fish fry (BBL) greatly harms the country, as Indonesia has a huge potential for BBL. At least, the government through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries allows for the capture and export of up to 419 million BBL per April 1, 2024. If the price of BBL is between IDR 50,000 to IDR 150,000 per piece, the potential value of profits that the country can obtain ranges from IDR 20 trillion to IDR 63 trillion per year.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

A number of officials from relevant agencies were in possession of clear lobster seeds (BBL) that were going to be smuggled into Singapore after a press conference at the Navy Base in Palembang, South Sumatra on Monday (6/5/2024).

"Beyond the potential of 419 million lobster seedlings, many lobster seeds are being illegally sold abroad. If not eradicated, one can imagine the monetary losses the country would suffer each year. Therefore, we must take firm action against these smuggling practices and investigate to prevent and stop them," said Pung.

Special Assistant to the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries for Public Communication and Media, Doni Ismanto, stated that South Sumatra is one of the main routes for smuggled fish in Indonesia.

It is proven from the data on the enforcement of violations by the Fish Quarantine, Quality Control, and Fishery Product Security Agency (BKIPM) for 2021-2023 that there were 17 instances of failed attempts to smuggle live lobsters in South Sumatra. The evidence recovered from these attempts amounted to 2,267,170 lobsters valued at Rp 246,698,250,000.

Also read: Civil Society Challenges Lobster Seed Exploitation Policy

Actually, Singapore or Malaysia is not the ultimate destination of the smuggled lobster seedlings. The real goal is Vietnam, which is the center of lobster cultivation in Southeast Asia. Currently, Vietnam's demand for lobster seedlings reaches 600 million per year.

If half of the demand is supplied illegally by Indonesia, it means that there is a possibility of around 1 million barrels of oil being smuggled from the country every day. With an average price of Rp 150,000 per barrel, Indonesia experiences a loss of Rp 150 billion per day or at least Rp 50 trillion per year.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Four perpetrators who were about to smuggle clear lobster seeds (BBL) were present at a press conference at the Palembang Naval Base, South Sumatra, on Monday (6/5/2024).

Therefore, Doni is requesting that BBL not be seen as just a small and fine object. Similarly, in every disclosure of smuggling, not only should the value of losses of one case be taken into account, such as the Rp 15 billion in this current disclosure.

All parties must view the phenomenon of BBL smuggling holistically. "BBL should not only be seen as a small item that is easy to carry. Broadly speaking, the accumulation of BBL smuggling causes enormous losses to the country," Doni said.

Also read: Exploitation Policy Threatens the Sustainability of Lobster Resources