Surabaya. Indonesian police have foiled the illegal import of 72 tons of onions from the Netherlands. Laboratory tests confirmed the shipment was carrying quarantine plant diseases, authorities said on Tuesday.

The seizure was made following a joint operation involving the East Java Police and agricultural quarantine officials, who intercepted the shipment at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya earlier this month. The onions were being transported without the required plant health certificates and posed a serious risk to domestic agriculture, officials said.

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman praised the swift action by law enforcement, warning that the illegal entry of infected agricultural products could have devastating consequences for Indonesia’s food sector.

“Tests show the onions contained plant diseases that could severely damage our crops if they spread,” Amran said. “This kind of smuggling cannot be tolerated, especially when we are working to strengthen national food production.”

Authorities said the onions originated in the Netherlands and were shipped into Indonesia via Malaysia before being smuggled into the country. To evade detection, the perpetrators allegedly used forged shipping documents, falsely declaring the cargo as palm kernel shells.

Investigators identified four types of quarantine plant pests and diseases in the shipment, including Aphelenchoides fragariae, Rhabditis species, Alternaria alternata, and Drechslera tertramera, according to laboratory tests conducted by quarantine officials.

Police said the operation uncovered a total of four containers, equivalent to about 72 tons, adding to earlier findings linked to the same smuggling network. The shipment was part of a planned sea transport route from Central Kalimantan to East Java, underscoring the scale and organization of the operation.

Amran called on authorities to pursue the case to its fullest extent, including tracing the importers, logistics companies, and other parties involved. He stressed that strict enforcement was needed to deter future smuggling and safeguard food security.

The government has ordered the seized onions to be destroyed in accordance with quarantine regulations to prevent any risk of disease spread. Officials warned that similar incidents in the past, including outbreaks of animal and plant diseases, had caused billions of rupiah in losses.

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