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View all search resultsRiau Police seize 100 tonnes of illicit mangrove charcoal
Special crimes investigators have foiled an attempt to smuggle 100 tonnes of illegally produced mangrove charcoal to Malaysia linked to a group running two clandestine factories in Meranti Islands regency, in the second such case since March amid Riau's crackdown on deforestation.
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Plainclothes officers from the special criminal investigation unit inspect around 3,000 sacks of mangrove charcoal during a raid on an illicit charcoal factory in eastern Meranti Islands regency, in this undated handout photo provided by the Riau Police on May 6, 2026. (Courtesy of Riau Police/-)
T
he Riau Police have foiled an attempt to smuggle mangrove charcoal to Malaysia and raided two cottage industries that had destroyed a large tract of mangrove forest in Meranti Islands regency in producing some 100 tonnes of the illicit good.
The case unfolded when people reported a suspicious charcoal shipment through the Malacca Strait that did not have proper documentation. A team from the Riau Police’s special criminal investigation (Reskrimsus) subdirectorate IV, which handles environmental cases, followed up on the tip.
On April 25, the investigation team discovered 580 sacks of mangrove charcoal being loaded onto a ship named KM Aldan 2 at a pier in Sesap village, Tebingtinggi district, Meranti Islands.
“The initial finding at the pier became our entry to investigate the case further [to uncover] the locations of mangrove charcoal production centers,” Riau Police special crimes director Sr. Comr. Ade Kuncoro said on Wednesday.
This led investigators to cottage industries illicitly producing mangrove charcoal in the villages of Sesap and Sokop in Rangsang Pesisir district. The police mounted a raid on the two factories and confiscated some 3,000 sacks of mangrove charcoal briquettes.
“The officers also found stacks of dozens of cubic meters of mangrove wood that had been [harvested] illegally from protected coastal areas for use as raw materials,” Ade said.
He added that three suspects had been named in the case. “Suspect B, alias CC, owns the factory in Sesap village, and M, alias AW, owns the factory in Sokop village, while [suspect] SA is the ship captain,” he said.
