GOLD from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is being continuously smuggled into neighbouring countries this time to the Republic of Indonesia.
Certain gold buyers coming into Bougainville have been buying Gold from Locals and then smuggling them into the neighbouring republic of Indonesia at the Wutung border post.
A reliable source and also a former member of a smuggling syndicate who is now converted to religion and is residing in Jayapura called this reporter and blew the story out.
The person who wishes to remain anonymous said the information leaked out from a girl who spent a night with one of the buyers in Buka, in which this reporter also acquired the same information that Gold is being smuggled to Indonesia.
The source said he was given a package by someone in Port Moresby when he was trying to board the flight to Vanimo in the West Sepik Province.
“The guy knew I am residing in Jayapura and decided to hand me a package to give to someone he just described as a friend of his, that will get the package from me in Jayapura and go to Jakarta,” the source said.
Upon arrival they met at a hotel in Jayapura where the source said he was met by four men who paid him off with $US1,000 which is equivalent to 3 million Indonesian rupiah. He only knew it was gold he was carrying when they opened the package in front of him.
He was also told there the gold was from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville bought by someone they were funding. He said 14 small bars shaped like bathing soaps were in the package. The source said he did not even know how much it all weighe or even its worth.
This happened on Monday and this reporter received a call on Tuesday from this anonymous source. However, after indepth research this reporter found out the information matched with the info provided to him in Buka.
The trend is now getting worse with crews from ships and flight attendants now being used to smuggle gold into Australia and Singapore. With their contacts in banks US dollars from these operations are secretly converted into kina.
Picture: Gold miners in AROB. Much of this gold has now been smuggled to other countries like Indonesia.