The current COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a challenge for all Indonesian people today and the number of people exposed to it is still high, even until the beginning of July 2021 it had experienced a significant increase.

This resulted in the occurrence of panic buying in the community, especially for COVID-19 therapy drugs and oxygen aids. The high increase in COVID-19 transmission resulted in a high demand for COVID-19 therapy drugs and oxygen aids and this event was utilized by several individuals to gain profits in the midst of this pandemic.

Located in the Main Lobby of the Awaloedin Djamin Building of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit, the Director of Special Economic Crimes of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Brigadier General Helmy Santika conducted a Press Release related to 33 cases of hoarding COVID-19 patient therapy drugs, counterfeit oxygen cylinders, and selling COVID-19 patient therapy drugs above the Highest Retail Price (HET) on Thursday, July 28, 2021. Director of Public Drug Management and Health Supplies of the Directorate General of Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices, Wiendra Waworuntu also participated in the Press Release activity as a representative of the Ministry of Health. Of these 33 cases, 37 people have been named as suspects.

Brigadier General Helmy stated "Against this evidence later we will carry out police discretion, restorative justice where we also have to provide benefits. So that we will set aside the evidence, we will coordinate with the Attorney General's Office, Ministry of Health, BPOM, including the Association of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs".

For their actions, the perpetrators of selling COVID-19 drugs above the HET are subject to Article 196 of Law Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health, Article 62 Jo Article 10 of Law 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection and are threatened with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Then the suspects who changed the fire extinguisher tube into an oxygen cylinder were charged with Article 106 of Law No. 7 of 2014 concerning Trade. Then Article 197 of Law No. 36 of 2009 concerning Health, and Article 62 Jo Article 8 of Law No. 8 concerning Consumer Protection. They face a maximum imprisonment of 15 years. The drugs confiscated by the police will be returned to the community to provide legal expediency. "We will carry out police discretion in the form of setting aside evidence, where we will hand over the evidence back to the community to be resold," said Helmy. Regarding the drug case, the practice carried out by the suspects is to buy and resell COVID-19 handling drugs at prices above the highest retail price (HET) set by the government. He also revealed that the suspects sold these medicines and oxygen cylinders both directly and online.