Rice Adulteration in NTB: Civil Servant Arrested by Police with Thousands of Kilograms of Fake Rice Seized
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| Police securing evidence of adulterated rice and fake packaging in NTB. |
Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) – The NTB Police have arrested a civil servant (ASN) identified as NA for allegedly mixing low-quality rice with branded rice products labeled Beras Medium, Beraskita, and SPHP. This case came to light following consumer reports doubting the quality and quantity of these rice brands in Mataram City. NA is now being held at the NTB Police detention center for further investigation.
Police Criminal Investigation Director Kombes Pol. F.X. Endriadi explained the case began after a tip from the public. “The NTB Food Task Force together with Bulog NTB conducted a raid on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) at the BTN Pemda Dasan Geres warehouse in West Lombok. We found production equipment, illegal packaging sacks, and thousands of kilograms of adulterated rice,” said Endriadi. The suspect admitted he had been running this rice mixing business for about two months, selling around 15 tons of fake rice to various stores in Mataram.
The suspect’s method was simple but harmful to consumers. “NA bought good quality rice and broken rice (menir) from mills in Central and West Lombok, as well as rice quota from middlemen at Pagutan Market. He then mixed the rice at a ratio of three sacks of quality rice to one sack of broken rice, repackaging it under the SPHP, Beraskita, and Beras Medium brands in 5-kilogram packages,” Endriadi explained. Sales were made door-to-door using a pickup truck, with profits of about IDR 1,500 to 2,000 per 5-kg pack. However, the quality did not match the price paid by consumers.
During the operation, police seized 3,525 kilograms of adulterated rice, 4,277 branded packaging sacks, 14,000 empty ready-to-use packages, and production tools such as blowers, sieves, sewing machines, shovels, and scales. NA is charged under laws concerning consumer protection, trade, and trademarks.
This case is a serious warning about food safety in NTB and risks damaging public trust in the national food program. The police continue to investigate to uncover other parties involved in this scheme. The public is advised to be cautious when purchasing rice and report any suspicious food products.
