Pangkalpinang. Police in the Bangka Belitung Islands have thwarted an attempt to smuggle 9 tons of tin sheets to South Sumatra, officials said on Wednesday.

The tin sheets were being transported in a truck and concealed beneath large ice cubes, according to police spokesman Fauzan Sukmawansyah.

The truck driver, identified by his initials EDP, 23, and a local businessman, AAD, 25, were arrested after officers discovered the illegal cargo during a raid at Tanjung Kalian Mentok Port in West Bangka Regency.

"Our investigators found tin sheets wrapped in sacks inside fiber boxes, hidden under layers of ice cubes," Fauzan explained in Pangkalpinang, the provincial capital.

“Upon investigation, it was determined that the shipment lacked the necessary permits and documentation, leading to the arrests of the two suspects,” he added.

The truck was carrying a total of 676 tin sheets packed in 54 boxes, with a combined weight of 9.25 tons.

The suspects face charges under Indonesia’s mining law, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted.