Tribratanews.polri.go.id - Pekanbaru. In approximately four days, the Riau Regional Police Ground Operations Team found as many as 2,319 cubic meters of illegally logging timber in forest areas in the Riau region.
The disclosure of this illegal logging case began with an air patrol conducted by the Chief of Riau Regional Police, Police Inspector General Agung Setya Imam Effendi, on Monday (15/11/2021).
This is a form of responsiveness of the police, especially the Riau Regional Police, after the speech of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, at the Group Summit 20 in La Nuvola, Rome, Italy, regarding the eradication of the mafia that destroys the environment.
Police Inspector-General Agung Setya Imam Effendi discovered many illegal logging activities in protected forest areas from the air patrol. Outraged by the discovery, Police Inspector General Agung Setya Imam Effendi mobilized the Ground Patrol Team, consisting of the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation and Mobile Brigadier of Riau Regional Police, to immediately end the activity.
As a result, at the Giam Siak Kecil Biosphere location, officers found 42 rafts of small open wood, 45 rafts of processed timber of the type of meranti wilt, mahang. Thus, the total logs from illegal logging taken from the Giam Siak Kecil area were 510 logs and 185.35 cubic meters of processed wood.
Then there is also 1 unit of a yellow Colt diesel truck, number bg 8735 bc, on which there are 137 pieces of processed wood.
“From the Siak Giam Kecil Biosphere Reserve location, four perpetrators were arrested with the initials MA, NS, H, and HM. They act as fund providers to workers,” explained the Chief of Riau Regional Police, Friday (11/19/2021).
Then the Ground Operations Team in the Kerumutan Forest Area also disclosed that 50 cubic meters of processed wood were secured.
Furthermore, in Teluk Pulau Village, Rimbau Melintang Subdistrict, Rokan Hilir Regency, the team found 96 pieces of processed wood in the form of boards and brotis.
In the Bengkalis Regency area, the Ground Operations Team also found three transport trucks containing 43 cubic meters of logs processed by illegal logging activities.
"The total wood that we found from the results of ground operations reached 2319 cubic meters," continued the Chief of Riau Regional Police.
Of the many illegal logging actions found by the Riau Regional Police, the Chief of Riau Regional Police confirmed that strict action would be taken against the perpetrators of environmental crimes and pursued intellectual actors hiding behind these activities.
The Chief of Riau Regional Police said that currently, he had received the assistance of a helicopter unit from the Indonesian National Police Headquarters, which will be used to monitor illegal logging activities in the Riau region by air.
"With the arrival of a helicopter from the Indonesian National Police Headquarters Security Maintenance Agency, which is already present in Riau today. It will be very helpful for us to be able to monitor from the air the illegal logging activities that are still happening in the Riau region," said the Chief of Riau Regional Police.
The Chief of Riau Regional Police said the helicopter will be operated from today. Of course, the progress of monitoring from the air will inform the ground task force for police action to take.
The Riau Regional Police will complete this illegal logging operation and thank the Indonesian National Police Headquarters for the helicopter assistance. This is very helpful.
