Jakarta. Indonesian law enforcement authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle tin sand from Bangka Belitung Islands province to Malaysia by sea, arresting multiple suspects and seizing the vessel used in the operation.

Customs officials received intelligence about a ship suspected of transporting illegal tin sand for shipment to Malaysia. On Feb. 24, a joint operation with the National Police intercepted a vessel carrying 319 sacks of tin sand without official documentation.

“The tin was to be sold to a smelter company in Malaysia identified by the initial M,” said Brig. Gen. Irhamni, a director at the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police.

The ship’s captain and four crew members have been detained. Further investigation led to the arrest of two additional suspects accused of organizing and shipping the tin sand to Malaysia.

“The perpetrators have smuggled tin sand to Malaysia at least four times,” Irhamni said.

Police also traced an illegal tin-processing site in the Kelapa Kampit district of East Belitung regency, where equipment used to refine tin ore was discovered.

Tin sand smuggling has been a recurring problem along maritime routes from the Riau Islands and Bangka Belitung, with authorities arresting numerous suspects and confiscating vessels in recent years.

In October, President Prabowo Subianto announced the closure of around 1,000 tin mines in Bangka Belitung for operating without permits and allegedly smuggling tin sand overseas. He said the illegal activities had caused severe environmental damage and significant state losses through unpaid taxes and lost export revenues.