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National scene: Navy arrests fuel-smuggling suspect
BATAM: The Indonesian Navyâs Western Fleet Quick Response (WFQR) IV team has arrested the owner of the MT Mascot II, a vessel suspected of smuggling fuel in Indonesian territorial waters, according to a Navy official
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ATAM: The Indonesian Navy's Western Fleet Quick Response (WFQR) IV team has arrested the owner of the MT Mascot II, a vessel suspected of smuggling fuel in Indonesian territorial waters, according to a Navy official.
Navy spokesperson Col. M Zainudin said that the suspect, identified as Jefry, was detained by the quick response team on Thursday evening in Nagoya, Batam, Riau Islands.
The MT Mascot II was brought into custody on Aug. 10 by authorities onboard patrol boat KRI Silas Papare 386.
The ship, manned by nine Indonesian crewmen as well as captain Obed Rumpang, was found by authorities in the waters off the western coast of Ranai on Natuna Island.
According to Zainudin, the vessel was suspected of the unlawful transshipment of fuel up to three times, smuggling an estimated total of 253 tons to foreign vessels operating in nearby waters.
'After conducting investigations and raiding the Mongolian-flagged ship, we have found evidence of infractions, including the absence of a cargo manifest, an erroneous crew list and crew members without legal documents,' Zainudin told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Investigators also confiscated two 4.5 mm caliber air rifles and two foreign flags ' one Mongolian, the other Malaysian.
As of Friday evening, the MT Mascot II was being kept in custody at the Navy post in Penagi, Natuna, while the nine crewmen were undergoing questioning and further investigation by the Navy's military police unit (Pomal) at the Ranai Navy base.
