SINGAPORE: A foreigner who led an 80-man illegal gold mining operation in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan has been sentenced to five years ‘ jail and a 50 billion rupiah ( US$ 3.2 million ) fine for mining without a permit.
The Indonesian government only lists the Chinese national as YH when they detained him in May, and if he does n’t pay the fine, the ministry of energy and mineral resources says he will spend an additional six months in jail.
Those found guilty of mine without a force are subject to a 100 billion rupee fine and up to five years in Indonesian prison.
In comparison to the number of reports on illegal mining incidents, the dangers of small-scale miners using mercury to collect silver, and some arrests made by the police, news of illegal metal miners being found guilty and sentenced in Indonesia is fairly uncommon.
In the improper operation in the Ketapang district, YH allegedly had 80 Chinese citizens working for him. Some of them worked in Indonesia without a card.
Additionally, he sought assistance from nearby inhabitants who offered laundry and food services.
According to Mr. Sunindyo Suryo Herdadi, director of engineering and culture for nutrients and fuel at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, investigators discovered evidence of gold ore mine at the page, which has a Mining Business Permit and is now undergoing maintenance functions.
The force, however, belongs to two golden companies that do not have limit certifications for output from 2024 to 2026. The two regional businesses, according to preliminary investigations, do not have any connections to YH.
The state suffered an estimated loss of 1.02 trillion rupiah ( US$ 65.6 million ) as a result of the illegal operation, with the miners stealing 774.27 kg of gold and 937.7 kg of silver, news site Kompas.com reported.
The amount of silver ore excavated was about 2, 687 m³, substantially more than the dimensions of an Olympic-sized swimming.
” The illegal underground mining ( performed by YH) involved using blasting techniques to process and extract the gold. After refining the golden beneath, the metal was then smuggled out of the caves and sold”, Mr Sunindyo said.
Material testing revealed that the silver material was of high caliber. The gold was separated from other minerals using metal, a dangerous substance for health that is used by some small-scale gold miners.