30 firearms, 13 pistols seized in six months<\/p>\n
TANGERANG (JP): The Directorate General of Customs and Excise
\nrevealed on Wednesday they had foiled the smuggling of a number
\nof firearms, explosives, sex toys, uncensored Video Compact Discs
\n(VCDs) and Chinese traditional medicine for various illnesses
\ninto the country through Soekarno-Hatta airport over the past six
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
Director General of Customs and Excise Permana Agung said that
\nauthorities managed to foil the smuggling attempts with the help
\nof X-ray scanner observation and officers' screening of
\npassengers arriving at the airport.<\/p>\n
He said that between January and June, his officers had
\nconfiscated a total of 30 firearms, three spear guns, 13
\ngame\/lighter pistols and 30 kilograms of explosives, which were
\nall mostly imported from the United States.<\/p>\n
Referring to Law No. 8\/1948 on firearms and Law No. 12\/1951 on
\nstates of emergency, Permana said those importing firearms or
\nexplosive devices into the country must obtain a permit from the
\nNational Police chief.<\/p>\n
\"In eight cases within the six months, our officers also
\nmanaged to seize 6,000 uncensored pornographic VCDs and six sex
\ndolls,\" he told reporters at his office at Soekarno-Hatta
\nairport.<\/p>\n
The products were mostly from Europe, the U.S., Japan and
\nChina.<\/p>\n
According to Permana, most passengers usually hid the smuggled
\narticles in their luggage, hand bags or through a shipment.<\/p>\n
\"Importing uncensored VCDs without a permit from the Film
\nCensor Body (LSF) violates Law No. 8\/1992, while bringing in sex
\ntoys also violates Article 282 of the Criminal Code on
\npornography,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said in a single case within the period, his officers also
\nseized various kinds of medicine smuggled from China through the
\nairport. Ministry of Health Regulation No. 917\/1993 requires all
\nmedicines to be registered with the ministry before they are sold
\nto the market.<\/p>\n
Permana said none of smugglers had been detained.<\/p>\n
\"Even though there is no detention, we have handed over the
\ncases to police,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that what matters more is that the authorities were
\nable to curb the danger and prevent those products from reaching
\nthe market.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, chief of the airport police station Insp. Suari
\nWahyudi told The Jakarta Post that all of the confiscated
\nfirearms and explosives would be handed over to the city police
\nwhile the medicines, VCDs and sex toys would be destroyed.<\/p>\n
She said the police could not arrest firearms smugglers as
\nlong as they were still in the airport, which is recognized as a
\ngreen site, an area where carrying firearms is allowed as
\ninternational law applies there.<\/p>\n
\"If they are found carrying firearms in public places, of
\ncourse I will immediately arrest them,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Head of Soekarno-Hatta Airport Customs and Excise Jusuf
\nIndarto declined to comment when the Post asked him the total
\nvalue of the seized illegal products.<\/p>\n
\"Let's not talk about the amount of money; we should think
\nabout the dangerous impact if these things are obtained
\nillegally,\" he said.(01)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/30-firearms-13-pistols-seized-in-six-months-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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