TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) has come under the spotlight after the discovery of a nearly one-hectare marijuana plantation in the conservative area. The case is currently being brought to trial at the Lumajang District Court, East Java, Indonesia.
During the trial process, a witness named Edwy Yunanto stated that the total area of the marijuana plantation is no more than one hectare. 'The total area is less than 1 hectare,' said Edwy in a hearing at the Lumajang District Court on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
From the total area, it was revealed that there are 59 marijuana planting spots in the conservation area, specifically located in the forest zone. They are approximately 3 to 5 kilometers from Dusun Pusung Duwur. "They are in the forest zone. The location is difficult to reach," said Yunus Tricahyono, who also serves as the Head of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Management Resort in Senduro District.
So, who actually owns the nearly one-hectare marijuana plantation in the Bromo area?
The marijuana plantation case in the Bromo area involves three defendants who are residents of Dusun Pusung Duwur, Argosari Village, Senduro District, Lumajang Regency. They are Tomo bin Sutamar, Tono bin Mistam, and Bambang bin Narto.
According to Lumajang Police Chief AKBP Mohamad Zainur Rofiq, the three defendants were merely field workers tasked with planting and harvesting the illegal plants. 'They do not know where the marijuana is distributed,' said Rofiq when he revealed the discovery of the marijuana plantation on Saturday, September 28, 2024.
The owner of the marijuana plantation is suspected to be a figure named Edy, who is the intellectual author behind the presence of the marijuana plantation. In front of the judges, the defendants admitted their willingness to plant marijuana in the conservation area because they were promised a sum of money by Edi, who is currently at large and on the wanted list.
The three defendants claimed to have obtained marijuana seeds from Edy, who also provided instructions regarding the planting location. All of the plantation needs, including seeds and fertilizer, were also provided by Edy. In addition, he also taught them how to plant, fertilize, and take care of the marijuana plants. 'After the plants are four to five months old, they can be harvested,' said Bambang in front of the judges.
These three defendants claimed to know each other because they are neighbors. Tono is even Tomo's son-in-law. They admitted their willingness to plant marijuana in the area because they were promised a sum of money by Edy. Every time they went down to the marijuana plantation, Edy promised them a wage of IDR 150,000. After the harvest, they were promised IDR 4 million per kilogram.
In the trial, a police witness revealed that Edy's identity is not in the village or population file. However, it is known that Edy is a resident of Dusun Pusung Duwur. This information about Edy was also confirmed by Ngatika, who is the Head of Dusun Pusung Duwur.
'Edy is a resident of Dusun Pusung Duwur. But indeed, his ID card is not available,' said Ngatika. Currently, the whereabouts of Edy are unknown and he is still on the wanted list.
In the trial with witness Edwy Yunanto, it was revealed that each defendant has their own planting area. Tono manages area number 32, while Tomo is responsible for areas 28, 29, and 31. Meanwhile, Bambang has areas 45 and 46. However, to this day, the trial has not revealed who planted in dozens of other points in the area.
Prior to that, in late September 2024, the Lumajang Police successfully uncovered a case of a marijuana plantation in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TN BTS) area. In this case, four suspects from Dusun Pusung Duwur, Argosari Village, Senduro District, Lumajang Regency, were arrested.
The police also confiscated evidence in the form of 40,000 marijuana plants and dozens of kilograms of dry marijuana. After undergoing an examination process for approximately three months, the case file was eventually declared complete or P21 in January 2025.
The investigators charged these four suspects with Article 111 paragraph (2) of the Narcotics Law with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, as well as a maximum fine. The marijuana plantation is located in Argosari Village, Senduro District, which is part of the work area of the Third Regional Park Management Section (SPTN) in Senduro Field, part of the Second Regional National Park Management Area in Lumajang Regency.
David Priyasidarta and Kakak Indra Purnama contributed to the writing of this article.
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