Indonesia names 24 foreign suspects in illegal gold mining case

Indonesian authorities have named 25 suspects, including 24 foreign nationals, in connection with an illegal gold mining operation at Gunung Botak on Buru Island in Maluku province, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said.

The ministry said it had conducted a joint operation with the national police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) targeting unlicensed mining activities at the site.

Jeffri Huwae, Director General of Law Enforcement at the ministry, said the suspects were believed to have supported the illegal mining operation by building access roads, constructing ore processing facilities and establishing gold refining operations.

"We appreciate members of the public who reported the illegal mining activities at Gunung Botak, enabling us to take enforcement action," Jeffri said late on Thursday.

The ministry said one Indonesian suspect had been detained at the Bareskrim detention facility in Jakarta, while another remained at large. Twelve foreign nationals have been detained in Ambon, while another 12 foreign suspects have been placed on the police's wanted list after leaving Indonesia.

The suspects have been charged under Indonesia's mining law, which prohibits mining without a government permit.

Jeffri said investigators formally upgraded the case to the investigation stage on April 3 after gathering sufficient evidence, with prosecutors now preparing the case for trial.

He said the crackdown was also intended to support the government's community mining permit (IPR) programme, which aims to legalise small-scale gold mining activities at Gunung Botak under a regulated framework.

According to the police's Directorate of Certain Crimes, authorities identified 1,517 illegal mining sites across 33 provinces in 2025, involving commodities including gold, coal, tin, nickel and other minerals.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak