inp.polri.go.id. – Mataram. The West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police arrested a middle-aged man with the initials AMB (53) who is suspected of selling detonators to make fish bombs.
West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police’s Head of PR, Pol. Grand Commissioner Artanto, who was accompanied by the Police Water Director of West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police, Pol. Grand Commissioner Kobul Syahrin Ritonga, in Mataram said that his party arrested this man from Kaung Island, Sumbawa Regency, while in the Pringgabaya area, East Lombok Regency.
“AMB was arrested at an inn in East Lombok. Members arrested him while planning to return to Sumbawa,” said Head of PR.
Head of PR said AMB’s whereabouts were tracked in East Lombok Regency after picking up a package containing detonators that came from Surabaya. Therefore, the police team in the arrest activity with a team from the Air and Water Police Corps (Korpolairud) of the National Police Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam), managed to secure evidence of a package consignment containing 1,200 detonators.
“So in the package there are 12 boxes containing 1,200 detonators,” he said.
From the perpetrator’s confession, this detonator became the raw material for making fish bombs. The plan is that the fish bombs made by AMB will be sold to fishermen.
“So far, the perpetrators have confessed to being used as raw materials for fish bombs. As for using it for other activities, it is still under investigation,” said Head of PR.
In police records, it was revealed that in 2010 AMB was arrested on Karimun Island, Riau Archipelago. At that time, AMB was arrested with 1,800 sacks of ammonium nitrate as evidence. Each sack contains 25 kilograms of a chemical known as a mixture of explosives.
After being found guilty and serving a verdict, AMB went back into action. For the second time, AMB was arrested in 2018 while at the Sumbawa Island ferry port. From their arrest, 2,200 detonators were found.
From the examination, AMB was tempted to run this business for reasons of profit. Because for a box of detonators that he bought for IDR 1.2 million, he could resell it for IDR 1.5 million. Because of his actions, now the recidivist who was arrested again by the police is in danger of being subject to Emergency Law No. 12/1951. Under the law, the perpetrators face life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Water Police Director of West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police said that his party was committed to preventing activities from destroying marine life. One of the efforts, he continued, is to cut the supply chain of raw materials for making fish bombs, which, according to him, is still happening massively.
In relation to this effort, Water Police Director of West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police said that his party has now pocketed the identity of the supplier of the detonator which has been the source of ordering AMB.
“We have obtained his identity and he is still in the same network. So we will continue to develop this case,” he concluded.
(wm/bq/hy)