Antara News·Indonesia·Monday, October 12, 2026 at 09:54 AM UTC

Lobster seed task force told to trace smuggling financiers

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Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman asked the Lobster Seed Smuggling Eradication Task Force to trace networks, money flows, and financiers behind lobster seed smuggling to protect national maritime economic potential.

Abdurachman stressed that eradicating lobster seed smuggling must not stop at arresting couriers or securing evidence but must reach those who finance and control the illegal activity.

"The task force must apply a 'follow the network' and 'follow the money' approach to uncover networks, money flows, financiers, and controllers," Abdurachman said at the launch of the task force at the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry office here on Monday.

According to him, lobster seed smuggling involves networks with long distribution chains, from catch sources, collectors, and holding sites to transport by land, sea, and air.

He therefore asked the task force to map the entire chain as a basis for setting operation targets, especially in seed source areas, transit areas, and exit points prone to smuggling.

"I ask all ministries and agencies to integrate data and information to strengthen early detection, risk analysis, and well-targeted enforcement," he stated.

Previously, the Indonesian Navy's (TNI AL's) Cirebon Naval Base uncovered an alleged illegal shipment of around 75,435 lobster seeds via the Cikopo-Palimanan Toll Road in Indramayu District, West Java, on October 1, 2026.

Officers found 13 boxes containing lobster seeds without the required transport documents and secured two people for further questioning.

On September 18, 2026, the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin), together with a joint team of officers, also foiled the shipment of 48,800 lobster seeds bound for Singapore via Juanda International Airport in East Java.

The tens of thousands of seeds were found in 18 plastic bags inside a prospective passenger's suitcase.

Abdurachman noted that Indonesia's lobster seed potential is estimated at 465.8 million per year, while the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry recorded a potential of around 500 million per year.

Smuggling of the commodity is seen as risking the loss of national economic potential, hindering domestic lobster aquaculture development, and reducing the benefits of fisheries resources for the public.

Maritime and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, on the same occasion, illustrated that the potential of around 500 million lobster seeds, assuming a value of US$2 per seed or around Rp35,800, equals US$1 billion or around Rp17.9 trillion.

Trenggono assessed that this large potential has not been optimally utilized domestically, while demand from neighboring countries and price differences pose challenges in developing the national lobster aquaculture industry.

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