JAKARTA: The customs and excise authorities have thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than 28 tons of ammonium nitrate from Malaysia to South Sulawesi.
The material is thought to have been intended for the manufacture of fish bombs. The National Police, who have taken over the case, said there was so far no indication that the explosive ingredients were to be used for terrorism purposes.
“It is being investigated. They are thought to be related to fish bombs, not related to terrorism,” National Police economic and special crimes director Brig. Gen. Agung Setya, told a press conference at the Bali and Nusa Tenggara Customs and Excise Office. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound that is mostly used as fertilizer, but it can also be used in the manufacture of explosives.
The ammonium nitrate was seized from a traditional wooden vessel, the KM Alam Indah, which was discovered in the waters around northeast Bali. The boat’s captain and five crew told officers that they had transported it from Pasir Gudang in Malaysia to Selayar Island in South Sulawesi.
Agung said ammonium nitrate smuggling from Malaysia to the eastern part of Indonesia was rife, but investigations would continue as to whether it is only intended for fish bombs.
Fish bombs are low-explosive devices used by fishermen to increase their catches. The practice is common in South Sulawesi, and there have been cases in which large bombs have caused fatalities. This year three attempts to smuggle ammonium nitrate to Sulawesi have been foiled, in April, July and August with a total of 166 tons seized.
“All the cases were related to fish bombing. They have the same pattern. They bring it from Malaysia to Sulawesi. None of those smuggling attempts was related to terrorism,” he said.
Agung said the police had arrested two suspects in Batam and Sulawesi. “This destructive fishing is a serious problem. We’re still investigating to find who is the main actor in this case,” The head of enforcement and investigation at Bali and Nusa Tenggara customs office, Husni Syaiful, said Bali was not the final destination.
“This vessel was bringing ammonium nitrate from Malaysia to Sulawesi. It’s not related to Bali, [the customs team from] Bali only carried out the operation because they had information about it. The final destination was not Bali, they were sailing to Sulawesi,” Husni said.
Husni added that the crew told officers that they had actually brought 1,500 sacks of ammonium nitrate from Malaysia on Sept. 12. However, as the boat sprung a leak, they disposed of some of the ammonium nitrate in the ocean.
When the boat was stopped customs officers found 1,153 sacks weighing a total of 28.29 tons of ammonium nitrate. “So, they disposed of around 347 sacks into the ocean,” he said.
Husni said that the captain and boat crew were still being interrogated and had not been named suspects. He said violators could be charged under Article 102 of the Customs Law, which carries a sentence of between of one and 10 years’ imprisonment, with fines of between Rp 50 million (US$3,800) and Rp 5 billion.
