Banten Customs and Lebak Prosecutor's Office Destroy 26 Million Illegal Cigarettes
The Banten Regional Customs Office, together with its vertical units, Customs Merak and Customs Tangerang, and the Lebak District Prosecutor’s Office, destroyed goods seized in customs and excise enforcement actions.
The symbolic destruction took place on Tuesday (21 April 2026) at ICE BSD City, Tangerang, Banten. It was followed by environmentally friendly destruction via co-processing at PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia.
The illegal goods destroyed included 26,459,168 tobacco products, comprising 26,059,168 sticks from Customs seizures and 400,000 from the Lebak District Prosecutor’s Office; 40.1 litres of beverages containing ethyl alcohol (MMEA); and 378 units (4,536 ml) of electronic cigarettes.
All items destroyed were results of customs and excise violation enforcements, designated as State-owned Goods (BMMN), and court evidence with final legal force (inkracht), managed by the Lebak District Prosecutor’s Office.
The total value of the destroyed goods is estimated at Rp 34.81 billion, with potential state losses from the excise sector at Rp 24.72 billion. These figures reflect the significant state revenue potential recovered, which could support national development financing.
“Besides material losses, the circulation of illegal excisable goods also causes immaterial impacts, including disrupting the sustainability of the legal cigarette industry, creating unhealthy business competition, and potentially harming the public in terms of unguaranteed product quality and safety,” explained the Head of Banten Customs Regional Office, Ambang Priyonggo.
During the destruction event, Ambang appreciated all law enforcement officials, local government, and the public for their active roles in supporting efforts to eradicate illegal excisable goods in Banten.
According to him, Banten Province is a strategic area for the distribution of illegal excisable goods between Java and Sumatra. Therefore, synergy with relevant agencies is needed to break the distribution chain and suppress illegal cigarette circulation.
“With a spirit of collaboration, Banten Customs is committed to continuously strengthening supervision and law enforcement to prevent the circulation of illegal goods that harm state and public interests,” he stated.
This collaboration, according to Ambang, was realised through 220 enforcement actions in Operation Gurita up to 15 April 2026. From these actions, officers secured evidence including 22.53 million cigarette sticks, 48.45 litres of MMEA, 1,200 litres of illegal ethyl alcohol, and 28,662 millilitres of REL.
Additionally, state revenue was obtained through the ultimum remedium mechanism amounting to Rp 1.2 billion. In terms of law enforcement, three investigation processes (PDP) were conducted, with one case declared complete (P-21).
Ambang stated that this destruction is also part of the implementation of Green Customs, based on three main pillars: Being, Doing, and Innovating.
“This activity is a tangible manifestation of applying knowledge from the Green Customs e-learning material organised by BPPK through the Customs and Excise Training Centre, to strengthen comprehensive understanding of the concept,” he added.
In its implementation, Banten Customs again collaborated with PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia to manage most of the destroyed goods through green zone facilities using the co-processing method.
This method utilises high-temperature cement kilns, reaching around 1,500-1,800 degrees Celsius, allowing goods to be completely destroyed without leaving residues or hazardous waste for the environment.
This approach reaffirms Customs’ commitment to ensuring that law enforcement remains aligned with environmental sustainability principles.
After the symbolic destruction at ICE BSD City, all goods were transported to the destruction site at PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia, Klapanunggal, Bogor, with special security including seals and escort by officers.
This destruction activity demonstrates transparency and accountability in Customs’ management of seized goods, while also supporting the 7th Asta Cita of the President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, particularly in strengthening legal reforms and eradicating violations.
Customs reaffirms its commitment to functioning as a community protector and revenue collector. In this regard, active public involvement is a key element in supporting supervision success.
Customs opens the widest possible channels for the public to report indications of violations through various means, including the Bravo Customs service at 1500 255 or via the link http://linktr.ee/bravobeacukai. Every report submitted is a real contribution to safeguarding state revenue and creating a fair and healthy business ecosystem.