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Jakarta police uncover illegal mask factory producing low-quality, high-price masks
Local residents tipped off police about a building allegedly being used as a storehouse to hoard masks. Police said the activity was the main cause of the increasing price of masks in the capital over the past two months.
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The Jakarta Police raided a warehouse in Cakung, East Jakarta which allegedly used as an illegal mask factory on Feb. 28. The police alleged the warehouse for producing and stockpiling regular masks which had cause a scarcity of the goods in the market and cause a hike in the price. (JP/Galih Gumelar)
T
he 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 a SNI (national standard implementation) certificate, which were both required to produce and distribute masks. None of the workers were able to provide the documents.
