Indonesia Foils 3.4 Ton Mercury Smuggling Attempt Worth Rp17.5 Billion

Customs authorities in Indonesia have foiled an attempt to illegally export 3.4 tons of mercury, estimated to be worth Rp17.5 billion, from Surabaya Port to Burkina Faso in West Africa. The operation was the result of intelligence analysis and a high-risk physical inspection by a joint team from the East Java I Regional Customs Office, Tanjung Perak Customs, and the National Police. The container in question was being held at PT Terminal Petikemas Surabaya and was declared in the Export Declaration of Goods (PEB) as containing 900 cartons of ceramics, weighing 11 tons. However, during the physical inspection, officers found a discrepancy, discovering only 826 cartons of ceramics, 74 cartons less than declared. Concealed between the ceramic pallets, officers discovered 251 plastic mineral water bottles (600 ml each, gross weight approximately 2,008 kg) and 71 jerricans (2 liters each, gross weight approximately 1,420 kg) containing a silver-colored liquid, lined with aluminum foil. Laboratory testing at the Surabaya Customs Laboratory confirmed the liquid to be pure mercury. Agus Cahyono, Head of Tanjung Perak Customs, explained, "The perpetrators hid the mercury bottles and jerricans between the ceramic pallets and then covered them with aluminum foil to avoid easy detection by X-ray scanners." The mercury was reportedly destined for Burkina Faso, a country in Africa where gold mining is a major contributor to national exports. "It is suspected that the mercury will be used as a supporting material for gold mining activities," he stated. Mercury is a heavy metal commonly used in amalgamation or gold separation processes in small-scale mining. Despite being cheap and simple, its use carries high risks due to its toxicity, potential for environmental contamination, and the possibility of serious nervous system damage and health disorders from both short-term and long-term exposure. International trade of mercury is therefore strictly controlled under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which Indonesia ratified through Law Number 11 of 2017. The total amount of liquid mercury successfully secured reached approximately 3,428 kilograms, with an estimated value of around Rp17.5 billion. For this act, the exporter and related parties are suspected of violating Article 103 letter a of Law Number 10 of 1995 concerning Customs, as amended by Law Number 17 of 2006, and Article 3 paragraph (6) of Law Number 11 of 2017 concerning the Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The perpetrators face a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 8 years imprisonment, along with a minimum fine of Rp100 million and a maximum of Rp5 billion.