By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-06-17 02:11:52 | Updated at 2026-06-17 06:17:23
4 hours ago
PEKANBARU, Indonesia - Detectives in Riau have confiscated some 1.8 billion rupiah (S$130,350 in assets of alleged money laundering proceeds involving members of a syndicate trading tusks from Sumatran elephants in the province.
The assets included 650 million rupiah in cash, an excavator, a Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck, a Suzuki Splash city car, land certificates and banking documents.
Riau Police Special Crimes Investigation (Reskrimsus) director Senior Commissioner Ade Kuncoro Ridwan said the investigation into the case of money laundering case developed following the killing of a 40-year-old male elephant in Pelalawan regency in May.
Riau Police have alleged 17 people were part of a wildlife animal trading syndicate, involving suspects in Riau, West Sumatra, Jakarta, Central Java and East Java.
“The main case involving trade in protected wildlife has reached stage two, with suspects and evidence handed over to the prosecutor’s office,” Ade said on June 15.
“Detectives have found sufficient initial evidence related to suspected money laundering conducted by two syndicate members, identified only as MA and FF.”
Suspicion of money laundering arose after MA received billions of rupiah in bank transactions despite working only as a plantation supervisor with a monthly salary of a few million rupiah.
“Based on financial transactions, detectives found 1.87 billion rupiah, suspected to be related with the trade of elephant tusks or other protected wildlife animals,” said Ade.
“The funds were recorded flowing through 34 transactions received by MA.”
MA is believed to have been involved in hunting and trading elephant tusks from 2014 until his arrest in March.
The 62-year-old, a resident of Simalinyang village in Kampar Regency, a repeat offender, was last imprisoned in 2019. After his release, he reportedly joined a syndicate controlled by the suspect FF.
“They are also suspected of concealing proceeds from tusks trade carried out for years,” Ade said.
Detectives also found that the syndicate carried out nine elephant hunts in Riau elephant habitats from 2024 to 2026.
“MA acted as a field funder for the hunts. He supplied ammunition and financed the hunters to kill elephants and remove the tusks,” he said.
“Funds were provided either in cash or digital transfers.”
Not only acting as hunting mastermind, MA also received the tusks, Ade said.
“The tusks were bought for 6 million reupiah from villagers who were recruited as poachers,” he said.
“Under FF’s control, the tusks were sold to a suspect identified only as HS in Padang [West Sumatra] and then sent the tusks using a courier to HR, a member of the wildlife animal trade in Surabaya, controlled by RS.”
Ade said the network controlled by RS was also involved the trade in pangolin scales. Banking transaction analysis revealed that MA received 1.87 billion rupiah in funds as proceeds from tusks sales, transferred by RS’ subordinates identified by RS, AC and HR. FF and MA then used the funds to buy several goods.
“Detectives managed to trace and confiscate assets from both suspects, such as a Mitsubishi Triton and Suzuki Splash from FF,” Ade said.
“Meanwhile, detectives confiscated 650 million rupiah in cash and an excavator from MA, who used it for illegal gold mining.”
The suspects were charged under Article 607 (1a) of the 2023 Criminal Code on money laundering.
“The article stipulates that anyone who places, transfers, diverts, spends, pays, entrusts, brings abroad, changes the for or conceals origins of wealth known to come from criminal activities can be sent to 15 years of jail term and a maximum fine of Category VII,” Ade said. Category VII fine has a maximum amount of 5 billion rupiah.
Ade emphasised that uncovering the money‑laundering scheme was part of Riau Police’s commitment to enforcing the “follow‑the‑money” principle in environmental crime and wildlife trafficking.
Enforcement targets not only the main perpetrators but also the proceeds of criminal activity.
“Using a green financial‑crime approach, we not only act against perpetrators but also trace, freeze, confiscate and seize economic profits from criminal activities,” he said.
“The step was taken to cut the criminal chain from the financial side, weaken the perpetrators’ network, and eliminate the economic motive, which is the main driver of the protected wildlife trade.”
Ade added that for Riau Police, the case was not ordinary.
“Law enforcement against tusk trading is a part of a bigger effort to save the future of wildlife animals in Riau,” he said. “Because in every piece of traded tusk, there is a dead elephant.”
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) included Sumatran elephants into the Critically Endangered (CR) in 2011.
Meanwhile, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) put Sumatran elephants on its Appendix I, which are for animals threatened with extinction and to which the highest level of CITES protection is afforded.
Any commercial trade of animals in CITES Appendix I is prohibited.
It is estimated that there are more than 2,000 Sumatran elephants in the wild.
The sumatran elephant is also included in the list of protected animals by Environmental and Forestry Ministerial Regulation No. P106/2018. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
