Community Protection Unit Becomes Frontline Force Against Illegal Cigarettes in Malang City

Supervision of the circulation of illegal cigarettes in Malang City is being strengthened by involving members of the Community Protection Unit (Satlinmas) as the front line at the neighbourhood level. This reinforcement was carried out through a Socialisation of Provisions in the Excise Sector in the Context of Combating the Circulation of Illegal Cigarettes, held by the Malang City Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) at the Savana Hotel, Malang City, on Wednesday, 15 July 2026.

The activity, sourced from the Tobacco Excise Revenue Sharing Fund (DBHCHT), was attended by Satlinmas members from all areas of Malang City. It aimed to strengthen understanding of excise regulations while building a community information network to support the eradication of illegal cigarette distribution.

Malang Mayor Wahyu Hidayat asserted that involving Satlinmas is a strategic step because the unit is the element closest to the community and understands the conditions of their respective areas. With knowledge of the characteristics of illegal cigarettes, Satlinmas is expected to become an initial source of information that will accelerate handling if indications of violations are found.

“This socialisation on illegal cigarettes is carried out collaboratively by Satpol PP, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Police, Customs, and also the Malang City Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD). This socialisation is very important. Satlinmas is the front line, because they know the territory, so if there are suspicious things or things that match the results of this socialisation, they can report it in stages, especially regarding the circulation of illegal cigarettes,” Wahyu said.

Wahyu stated that the existence of Satlinmas is becoming increasingly important because the practice of producing illegal cigarettes is no longer always carried out through large-scale factories. Some perpetrators actually utilise home industries, making their activities difficult to recognise if the community does not have adequate understanding.

“These illegal cigarettes are sometimes not in the form of a factory, but exist in home industries. They do not reveal that there is illegal cigarette activity, so it is considered just an ordinary home industry. Now, this is what must be detected at the lowest regional level. That is why we involve our community protection unit so that all information can be properly collected,” he said.

According to him, the Malang City Government has continuously built synergy and collaboration with Customs, the Police, the Prosecutor’s Office, and various other stakeholders in combating the circulation of illegal cigarettes. Various enforcement operations have been successfully carried out thanks to information obtained from the public.

“We always work together. We have conducted joint operations several times once information comes in. As a result, we have destroyed quite a large number of these illegal goods. In this regard, Malang City is among the better regions in carrying out the movement to combat illegal cigarettes,” Wahyu said.

Malang City DPRD member Hardvard Kurniawan said that excise has a much broader function than just being a source of state revenue. According to him, excise is an instrument used by the government to control the consumption of certain goods while providing real benefits to the community through the Tobacco Excise Revenue Sharing Fund (DBHCHT).

He explained that the DBHCHT allocation received by the region is used to support health services, improve community welfare, including tobacco farm labourers and tobacco industry workers, and strengthen law enforcement against the circulation of illegal cigarettes. Therefore, maintaining excise revenue while suppressing the circulation of illegal cigarettes is a common interest.

“Excise is not only a state revenue instrument but also a regulatory tool. Malang City receives real benefits through DBHCHT, especially for health and welfare. With synergy between the central, provincial, and regional governments, the benefits of excise can be increasingly felt by the community,” Hardvard said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Extension and Information Services Section of the Malang Intermediate Customs and Excise Supervision and Service Office (KPPBC), Pitoyo Pribadi, said that excise supervision not only aims to secure state revenue but also to protect the public from the circulation of illegal excisable goods and to create a healthy and fair business climate. Therefore, public involvement in providing information is a crucial factor in supporting the effectiveness of supervision.

Pitoyo reminded participants to be able to recognise various forms of illegal cigarettes, including cigarettes without excise stamps, those using fake excise stamps, used excise stamps, or excise stamps that are not in accordance with their designation. All these forms of violations carry criminal sanctions and fines as stipulated in Law Number 39 of 2007 concerning Excise.

In addition to providing an understanding of the types of violations, Pitoyo also presented enforcement achievements up to 30 June 2026. A total of 44 enforcement actions were successfully carried out, resulting in the seizure of 13,071,360 sticks of illegal cigarettes, 2,357.5 grams of sliced tobacco, and 2,338 litres of beverages containing ethyl alcohol (MMEA).

From these enforcement actions, the potential state losses secured reached approximately IDR 9.99 billion. This data shows that the circulation of illegal cigarettes remains a challenge that requires continuous joint supervision.

Meanwhile, Head of Malang City Satpol PP, Heru Mulyono, stressed that Satlinmas members who have received the training do not have the authority to take enforcement action against perpetrators of illegal cigarette distribution. Their main role is to be the eyes and ears of the government at the neighbourhood level by conveying information if they find suspected violations.

“They are not allowed to take action. They only convey reports, for example, if there is potential for illegal cigarettes circulating or being sold in a stall. Later, our Satpol PP colleagues will collect the information,” Heru said.