Customs and Police Pursue Mastermind Behind 8 Million Illegal Cigarette Smuggling

A joint team from Customs and Excise and the Indonesian National Police will deepen their investigation to trace the main actors or financiers in the case of smuggling millions of illegal cigarettes, which caused state losses of Rp7.9 billion. Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, stated in Tangerang on Friday that investigators will meticulously work to uncover the owner or financier of the millions of illicit cigarettes discovered during an attempted smuggling operation at the Merak-Bakauheni ferry crossing on Thursday (11/6).

In the operation, Customs seized 8,262,000 sticks of illegal cigarettes without excise stamps. The haul comprised 2,912,000 sticks of the OK BOLD brand and 5,350,000 sticks of imported Double Happiness brand cigarettes. Djaka explained the goods were being smuggled through the Merak-Bakauheni crossing area. The entire shipment is estimated to be worth Rp12.68 billion, with potential state losses of Rp7.9 billion successfully prevented, covering excise duty, cigarette tax, and tobacco products VAT.

A suspect, identified as JFR, has been named. The individual had made multiple shipments and was apprehended while passing through Banten. According to the investigation, the smuggling operation used a modus operandi of disguising the cargo as animal feed to deceive officers. The illegal cigarettes are suspected to have originated from East Java and Central Java, destined for Sumatra. The suspect is charged under Article 54 and/or Article 56 of Law Number 39 of 2007 concerning Excise. The Banten Regional Customs Office and Merak Customs Office conducted the investigation, having found sufficient evidence that the suspect committed unlawful acts.