Specific Crimes Directorate at the National Police’s Crime Investigation Agency, in coordination with the Mount Merapi National Park Authority, the Central Java Provincial Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Agency, and other related institutions, launched an operation against illegal sand mining activities within the Mount Merapi National Park in Magelang, Central Java, on Monday, November 3, 2025.

The illegal operations are estimated to have caused state losses of up to Rp3 trillion (US$179 million). The crackdown followed public reports and findings from several institutions regarding unlicensed mining in the protected area. Authorities discovered 36 illegal sand mining sites and 39 sand depots spread across five districts: Srumbung, Salam, Muntilan, Mungkid, and Sawangan.

“We are not only taking action against field operators but also tracing the entire network involved, from upstream to downstream,” Bareskrim’s Director of Specific Crimes, Brigadier General Moh. Irhamni, said as quoted in a statement on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

Investigators seized six excavators and four dump trucks from mining sites along the Batang River in Ngablak Village, Srumbung District, as well as from a sand depot in Tejowarno, Muntilan. The illegal operation had reportedly been active for about 1.5 years, covering an area of 6.5 hectares and generating transactions worth Rp48 billion.

The total transaction value of illegal sand mining in Magelang over the past two years is estimated to reach Rp3 trillion. Irhamni stressed that law enforcement will be firm but also coordinate with other agencies to find long-term solutions.

“This enforcement effort is not merely about arrests, but also about ensuring environmental sustainability and that the country’s natural wealth benefits the people,” he said.

Head of the Mount Merapi National Park, Muhammad Wahyudi, emphasized that sand mining activities are strictly prohibited within conservation zones, which serve as vital habitats for protected wildlife and water sources for communities in Central Java and Yogyakarta.

“The Ministry of Environment and Forestry, through the Mount Merapi National Park Authority, will immediately begin ecosystem restoration,” Wahyudi said. “Reforestation will start in the Sentong Block, Dukun District, Magelang Regency.”