Indonesia's West Papua police pursue financier of illegal gold mine

Police in Indonesia's West Papua province carried out a three‑day operation in Manokwari's Masni district to clamp down on an illegal gold mining site along the Wasirawi River. A joint task force that included the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate, the Orion special team, the Mobile Brigade Corps and a special crimes unit arrested six workers – a supervisor, an excavator operator, three cashiers and a cook – and seized six excavators, 28.2 grams of gold, mercury, mixing devices, scales, a water pump and other equipment.

Authorities are now searching for a suspect identified only as F, also known as Fajar, who is believed to have financed the operation and fled the site. Police warned that the use of mercury in gold processing could contaminate rivers and damage the surrounding ecosystem, urging the public to avoid involvement in illegal mining.

The raid reflects a broader police commitment to combat illegal mining activities that harm the environment and result in financial losses to the state.