Customs Foils Smuggling of 8.2 Million Illegal Cigarettes

The Banten Regional Customs Office (Kanwil Bea Cukai Banten) foiled an attempt to smuggle 8,262,000 illegal cigarettes without excise stamps through the Merak-Bakauheni ferry port on Thursday (11/6). Director General of Customs and Excise Djaka Budhi Utama stated during a press conference in Tangerang on Friday that the seized goods were worth an estimated Rp12.68 billion, with potential state losses of Rp7.9 billion successfully prevented. “The total 8,262,000 illicit cigarettes were secured. Their estimated value reaches Rp12.68 billion, with potential state losses of Rp7.9 billion prevented, covering excise duty, cigarette tax, and Value Added Tax on Tobacco Products (PPN HT),” he explained. He revealed that one suspect, identified by the initials JFR, had been arrested. JFR was the driver of a Colt Diesel truck with licence plate D 80XX FM transporting the illegal excisable goods. “We have named JFR as a suspect because he has made several deliveries and unfortunately got caught in Banten,” he said. The prevention effort was carried out through a joint operation between Banten Customs and Merak Customs. Officers conducted two separate interceptions of the illegal cigarette smuggling attempts. “The operation began on Thursday at around 7 a.m. Western Indonesia Time when Merak Customs received information about a suspected shipment of illegal cigarettes passing through its jurisdiction,” he said. Following up on the tip, the Customs team conducted ground surveillance and patrols in the Merak-Bakauheni ferry port area in Cilegon City. Officers stopped and inspected a Colt Diesel truck with licence plate D80XXFM suspected of carrying illegal excisable goods. “When questioned, the driver JFR and his assistant JER could not explain the cargo they were carrying. Upon inspection, officers found 182 cartons of machine-made kretek cigarettes of the OK BOLD brand without the required excise stamps. The total seized amounted to 2,912,000 cigarettes,” he detailed. After securing the first haul, the team continued patrols and inspections of vehicles crossing from Bakauheni Port. They stopped a Hino Fuso truck with licence plate BM 84XX DN, also suspected of carrying illegal cigarettes. “When the truck’s cargo area was opened, officers discovered 535 cartons of machine-made white cigarettes of the Double Happiness brand without excise stamps, hidden beneath a load of animal feed. The total number of illegal cigarettes seized from this truck reached 5,350,000 sticks,” he said. He added that a thorough investigation revealed the smuggling operation used animal feed shipments as a cover. The illicit goods originated from areas in East Java and Central Java and were destined for Sumatra. “They deceived customs officers by concealing the goods under piles of animal feed,” he stated. The suspect’s actions are charged under Article 54 and/or Article 56 of Law Number 39 of 2007 concerning Excise. “The Banten Regional Customs Office and Merak Customs have conducted an investigation into JFR, with sufficient consideration and evidence that the individual committed unlawful acts,” he concluded.