The Directorate General of Customs and Excise has successfully\nthwarted the circulation of 8,944,800 illicit cigarettes without excise\nstamps. Behind the enforcement action against millions of illegal\ncigarettes are thousands of workers who are protected from the impact of\nunfair business competition. The circulation of products without excise\nstamps not only harms the state but also potentially threatens the\nsustainability of the legal tobacco products industry, which has\nabsorbed a large workforce. Therefore, the success of Customs in\nintercepting the circulation of 8,944,800 illicit cigarettes without\nexcise stamps is more than just a law enforcement effort. The action is\nalso considered to contribute to maintaining the livelihoods of\napproximately 3,578 hand-rolled cigarette workers who depend on the\ntobacco products industry that complies with regulations.<\/p>\n
The enforcement was carried out through a joint operation by Jakarta\nCustoms together with the Jakarta and Banten Regional Customs Office.\nFrom the operation, officers managed to seize millions of illicit\ncigarettes with an estimated goods value reaching IDR 13.28 billion and\npotential state revenue saved amounting to IDR 8.66 billion.<\/p>\n
Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, affirmed\nthat eradicating illicit cigarettes is part of efforts to protect the\npublic, law-abiding business operators, and state revenue used to\nsupport development and public services. \u201cThe enforcement against the\ncirculation of these illicit cigarettes is a form of protection for the\npublic from products that do not meet provisions, protection for\nbusiness operators who comply with the rules, as well as an effort to\nsafeguard state revenue used to finance development and public\nservices,\u201d said Djaka.<\/p>\n
This case originated from public information regarding the alleged\ndelivery of illicit cigarettes using a truck passing through the Jakarta\nCustoms supervision area. After an investigation, officers stopped a\ntruck on the Jakarta Outer Ring Road at KM 35.8 on Saturday (6\/6). From\nthe inspection, 8,000,800 illicit cigarettes of the SS brand without\nexcise stamps were found. Case development then led to a warehouse in\nSerang City, Banten. At that location, the joint team found an\nadditional 944,000 illicit cigarettes stored without official excise\ndocuments.<\/p>\n
Overall, the total amount of goods from the enforcement reached\n8,944,800 illicit cigarettes. The potential state revenue saved consists\nof excise duty amounting to IDR 6.67 billion, cigarette tax of IDR\n667.28 million, and VAT on tobacco products amounting to IDR 1.32\nbillion. Currently, the case has entered the investigation stage.\nCustoms, together with law enforcement officials, is still conducting an\nin-depth probe into several parties suspected of being involved in the\nillicit cigarette distribution network.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/illicit-cigarette-circulation-suppressed-thousands-of-tobacco-industry-workers-protected-1781103091", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }