Customs and Excise Hunts Mastermind Behind Smuggling of 2,065 Bales of Used Clothing

The Regional Office of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) for West Kalimantan is still hunting the main actor behind the smuggling of 2,065 bales of illegal used clothing by tracing parties suspected of being the supplier or owner of the goods. “Investigators are currently collecting evidence and witness statements to trace the parties suspected of being the supplier or owner of the smuggled goods,” said Head of the DJBC West Kalimantan Regional Office Budi Harjanto in Pontianak on Wednesday. Budi stated that investigators have not yet named a suspect as they are still focused on gathering information and mapping the party most responsible within the smuggling network. According to him, investigators do not want to rush into naming a suspect without strong supporting evidence. He emphasised that the significant public attention on the seizure case of 2,065 bales of illegal used clothing is a driving force for investigators to uncover the intellectual actor behind the smuggling, so that law enforcement does not stop at field workers. He stressed that the incident was not a raid or an anarchic act, but rather a misunderstanding by the family of a man with the initial A who was being questioned. “This was purely due to the family’s ignorance and worry. We had indeed been asking for Mr A’s statement since the afternoon, but his family thought he was being detained. In fact, this was just a routine request for information,” he said. According to Budi, A was one of the people at the location when officers found thousands of bales suspected to be smuggled goods. His statement is needed to help investigators identify the party who instructed the field workers and the owner of the goods. “For us, information from anyone at the location is very important to shed light on this criminal act, specifically who he was actually ordered by,” he said. He also appreciated the support of the Police, who helped maintain a conducive situation when dozens of residents came to the Customs office. According to him, the Police have a role as Coordinating Supervisor (Korwas) for the Civil Servant Investigators (PPNS) of Customs, so that any escalation of the case status will be coordinated together through a case review. “When we are going to elevate this case to the investigation stage, we will certainly coordinate closely with the Korwas to ensure all evidence meets the requirements,” said Budi.