Indonesia's Forestry Ministry Seizes 598 Wood Logs and Arrests Two Suspects in Park Intrusion

On 23 July 2026, the Directorate General of Forestry Law Enforcement (Ditjen Gakkum) of Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) stopped a truck on the Medan–Kabanjahe road in Sibolangit, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra. Inspectors found about 598 processed wood logs being transported with falsified documentation. The suspect, identified only as HSB, was detained for allegedly controlling the cargo and the illegal documents, according to Hari Novianto, head of the Sibolangit weighing station.

A week later, on 30 July 2026, the same ministry's Sumatra Forestry Law Enforcement Unit named two individuals, S (64) and TN (26), as suspects for illegal activities in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, West Lampung. They are accused of using heavy equipment and occupying protected forest areas without permission, actions that threaten the park's wildlife habitat, water regulation and carbon storage. Director General Dwi Januanto Nugroho warned that such illegal road openings can lead to broader forest crimes, including poaching and illegal logging.