The Jakarta Police have uncovered a ring of alleged illegal mask manufacturers seeking to tap into the recent skyrocketing price of masks following fears of a global spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Jakarta Police raided a warehouse in Cilincing, North Jakarta, on Thursday where investigators seized 60 boxes containing 3,000 masks.

Local residents tipped off police about a building allegedly being used as a storehouse to hoard masks. The activity was the main cause of the increasing price of masks in the capital over the past two months, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said.

The police later found that the warehouse was not only being used to stockpile masks but also functioned as a mask production facility. Investigators discovered that the company, whose name was not disclosed, could produce 850 boxes of masks every day.

“The company was running an illegal production activity since the workers failed to show any legal permit for the business,” said Yusri at the warehouse on Friday.

During the raid, the police asked workers to produce documents including a medical production permit from the Health Ministry and an Indonesian National Standards (SNI) certificate, which were both required to produce and distribute masks. None of the workers were able to provide the documents.

The police sealed the warehouse behind a police line and brought 10 workers to the Jakarta Police headquarters for questioning.

The 10 workers were named suspects in the alleged violation of Article 107 of the 2014 Trade Law. The law stipulates that producers or traders who have been stockpiling goods, contributing to the scarcity of the goods in the market and further escalating the price of the goods are subjected to maximum of five years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rp 50 billion (US$ 3.57 million).

The workers could also be charged under Article 197 of the 2009 Health Law, which stipulates a maximum penalty of 15 years for those who distribute unauthorized health equipment.

Investigators are now on the hunt for the owner of the factory, identified only as Y.

“We are also studying the possibility of charging them under different laws, such as the 2014 Standardization and Product Quality Assessment Law,” Yusri said, adding that the police were searching for other parties who had been stockpiling masks with an intention to increase their price.

The price of masks has soared in the capital since January as the novel coronavirus has spread across the globe. The virus has affected more than 83,000 people in 57 countries and claimed nearly 2,900 lives.

During The Jakarta Post’s recent visit to Pramuka Market, a health equipment market in Central Jakarta, the price of a box containing 50 regular masks was priced at Rp 80,000. The price has tripled from January, when it was sold at Rp 25,000 per box.

Meanwhile, on several e-commerce platforms, the price of regular masks was between Rp 170,000 and Rp 230,000 per box on Friday.

Comr. Budi Setiadi, the Jakarta Police’s Unit 5 Drug Department head, said the company had allegedly sold the masks for Rp 240,000 per box of 50. He said the masks had been made using low-quality materials.

“The masks should have been equipped with antivirus material, which could filter viruses for three to four hours after being used, but we didn’t find it here,” Budi said. “How can the price of the masks be so expensive when the company made them using low-grade materials?” he added.

Preliminary investigation suggested that some of the masks had been sold directly to customers while the rest had been sold to another party that piled up masks in Teluk Gong, North Jakarta. Police raided the mask hoarder in Teluk Gong the day before Thursday’s raid.

“Now we’re investigating whether the company has distributed the masks to hospitals. We are going to work with the Health Ministry to analyze such a possibility,” Budi added said.

The operational manager of the warehouse, identified as YRH, acknowledged that the company did not have any legal permit to run its operation. He said the warehouse had only been used as a mask factory since January. However, he denied the police’s allegation that the company had stored the masks intentionally to raise the price.

“We’re here just to produce masks, not for any other purpose,” he told reporters. (glh)

Popular

Essay competition: ‘Rethinking work: Driving sustainable growth in the digital age’

Hotels demand crackdown on unlicensed rentals in Bali

Indonesia seizes ship carrying narcotics worth $426 million