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S. Sulawesi Police thwart attempt to distribute fish contaminated with formaldehyde
The South Sulawesi Police have confiscated three tons of fish preserved with formaldehyde in an operation at Paotere Port in Makassar. It was suspected the fish would be distributed in several markets across the city.
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Harmful commodity – South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Anton Charliyan (left) inspects fish preserved with formaldehyde during a visit at Paotere Port in Makassar on Friday. The police confiscated the fish in an operation on Tuesday. (JP/Andi Hajramurni)
The South Sulawesi Police have confiscated three tons of fish preserved with formaldehyde in an operation at Paotere Port in Makassar. It was suspected the fish would be distributed in several markets across the city.
“It has been confirmed that the three tons of fish contain formaldehyde based on results of a laboratory test on samples of the fish at the Makassar Food and Drug Monitoring Agency [BPOM],” South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Anton Charliyan told journalists at Paotere Port on Friday.
“The distribution of such fish must be prevented as it would be dangerous for people’s health, consuming the fish can cause cancer,” he explained.
Anton further said the police uncovered the harmful commodity when a machine vessel, KM Adi Wijaya, departing from South Kalimantan entered the Paotere Port on Tuesday. During an investigation, they found 20 tons of fish in the vessel.
The police suspected the fish contained preservation substances because the vessel had sailed from Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, for 12 days but it did not carry any cooling machines, only boxes and ice cubes, Anton said.
The police investigators asked the BPOM Makassar to carry out lab tests, after which they found three of the 20 tons of fish had tested positive for formaldehyde.
Comr. Ahmad Mariadi, the head of industry and trade sub-directorate at the South Sulawesi Police’s special crime investigation directorate, said that based on the vessel’s captain’s testimony, the fish were from Kalimantan waters.
“He claimed he bought the fish from nine fishermen in Banjarmasin waters in South Kalimantan for about Rp 300 million [US$ 22,468.56]. He insisted he didn’t use formaldehyde or any other preservation substances,” said Mariadi, adding that the police were further investigating the case. (ebf)
