Batam Customs has once again thwarted the circulation of illegal\ndutiable goods by seizing 1.12 million cigarette sticks without excise\nstamps from an unmanned speedboat. The vessel, powered by twin\n200-horsepower engines, was discovered beached in the mangrove forest\narea of Panjang Island on the afternoon of Thursday, 12 March 2026.<\/p>\n
The enforcement action commenced following observation and\nsituational analysis by officers regarding suspicious activities in the\nregion. Acting on this information, the Customs Maritime Patrol Task\nForce BC-11001 conducted a sweep of the area and discovered the\nsuspicious speedboat at approximately 14:00 local time in a beached\ncondition.<\/p>\n
Upon initial inspection, officers found no crew members at the\nlocation. After taking control of the vessel, personnel coordinated with\nthe local neighbourhood head and the BC-1001 Maritime Patrol Task Force\nto assist with the evacuation process. Following extraction efforts, the\nspeedboat and its cargo were successfully removed from the mangrove\nforest area at approximately 16:30 local time.<\/p>\n
Inspection at the location revealed that the vessel was transporting\nillegal cigarettes without excise stamps. Officers immediately conducted\nseizure and sealing procedures on the transport vessel and all of its\ncargo. Subsequently, the vessel and evidence were brought to Tanjung\nUncang Customs Wharf for further processing, arriving at approximately\n17:30 local time.<\/p>\n
From detailed inspection, it was determined that the cargo comprised\n75 cartons containing 640,000 cigarettes of H-Mind brand and 40 cartons\ncontaining 480,000 cigarettes of OFO-Bold brand. The total reached 1.12\nmillion cigarette sticks with an estimated value of Rp 1.66 billion and\na potential state loss of Rp 835.52 million.<\/p>\n
Agung Widodo, Head of Batam Customs Office, affirmed that Customs\nwill continue to strengthen surveillance, particularly on maritime\nroutes vulnerable to smuggling operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis enforcement action is not only to protect government revenue,\nbut also to protect the public from illegal goods and to ensure fairness\nfor industries that comply with regulations,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He further added that cooperation with the community is an important\nfactor in supporting the success of field surveillance. Therefore,\nCustoms urged the public not to become involved in the distribution or\nconsumption of illegal goods and to actively report any suspected\nviolations they encounter.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/batam-customs-seize-1-12-million-illegal-cigarettes-from-unmanned-speedboat-on-panjang-island-1773730440", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }