Fact Check: Does Tanjung Priok Diesel Video Show a Smuggling Raid? — False

Jakarta — An Instagram video posted on 11 October 2026 claims to show an operation against the smuggling of subsidised diesel at Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta. Verdict: False. The post itself carries an “AI content” label, and separate checks by Tirto and Kompas identified signs of synthetic imagery. The footage does not establish a new raid, the shipment of diesel overseas, or the involvement of senior officials suggested by its narration.

What the post claims

The caption on the Instagram post by @leychazulay describes a tense scene involving subsidised diesel smuggling in Tanjung Priok. Its voiceover alleges that tankers were intercepted before their fuel could be transferred to a ship for export, then alludes to links to senior government figures. Even though the narration uses conditional language, it presents the imagery as if it were a record of an actual operation. The original post remains accessible and displays the AI label.

When Tirto checked the post on 15 October, it reported 141,000 views, 7,682 likes, 1,672 comments and 2,462 shares. Those are Tirto's figures at the time, not a current count. Kompas also reported circulation of a similar claim on Facebook in October. This matters because an accusation involving public fuel subsidies and senior officials can spread quickly when synthetic visuals are framed as field reporting.

Why the footage fails as evidence

Tirto described tanker bodies joining together without realistic gaps, distorted “PERTAMINA” lettering, inconsistent shadows and implausible port cranes. The newsroom noted the post's “AI content” label and said its Hive Moderation test returned a 99.9% probability of AI generation. A detector score alone is not a legal finding; it adds to the evidence from the platform label and the visual inconsistencies.

Kompas independently described a ship stairway that ends abruptly, truck cabins and tanks appearing to intersect, and indistinct details on the security personnel. Its team reported a SynthID marker indicating generation by a Google AI model, alongside a Hive check. We have not independently rerun either technical test: those findings belong to the newsrooms that performed them. Liputan6 also sought comment from Pertamina Vice President of Corporate Communication Fadjar Djoko Santoso, who said the circulating content appeared to be AI-generated judging from its visuals and narration. That assessment should not be mistaken for an audit of all port activity.

Earlier cases do not validate this video

InfoPublik, a publication of the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, classified the claim about the Tanjung Priok video as a hoax, drawing on Tirto's examination. It noted that authorities had uncovered cases involving misuse of subsidised diesel around Tanjung Priok and North Jakarta in 2022. An earlier real case does not make a newly circulated synthetic clip evidence of an October 2026 operation, let alone prove that officials were involved or fuel was exported.

The False verdict applies narrowly to the claim that this video documents a subsidised-diesel smuggling operation at Tanjung Priok in October 2026. It does not mean that misuse of subsidised fuel has never happened, there or elsewhere. A specific criminal allegation would require verifiable case records, dates and locations rather than a social-media voiceover and a line of tankers. Before sharing the clip, viewers should check its AI label and the underlying reporting.