Customs Seizes 8.9 Million Illicit Cigarettes Worth Rp13.2 Billion
The Directorate General of Customs and Excise has successfully thwarted the distribution of millions of illegal cigarettes, with potential state losses reaching billions of rupiah.
In total, the seized goods amount to 8,944,800 illegal cigarettes, with an estimated value of Rp13.28 billion. The operation saved potential state revenue of Rp8.66 billion, consisting of Rp6.67 billion in excise duties, Rp667.28 million in cigarette tax, and Rp1.32 billion in Value Added Tax on tobacco products (PPN HT).
The Director General of Customs and Excise, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Djaka Budhi Utama, emphasised that combating illegal cigarettes is part of an effort to protect the public, maintain a healthy business climate, and secure state revenue.
“This action against the circulation of illegal cigarettes is a form of protection for the community from products that do not meet regulations, protection for businesses that comply with the rules, and an effort to safeguard state revenue used to fund development and public services,” he stated during a press conference at the DJBC headquarters on Tuesday (9/6/2026).
The enforcement began following community reports regarding the suspected shipment of illegal tobacco products using a truck passing through the Jakarta Customs surveillance area. After in-depth analysis, the Jakarta Customs team, alongside the Highway Patrol (PJR) of the Metro Jaya Regional Police, conducted an operation on Saturday (06/06) at 15:15 WIB on the Jakarta Outer Ring Road KM 35.8. Upon inspection, officers discovered 8,000,800 illegal ‘SS’ brand cigarettes without excise stamps, which were subsequently seized and taken to the Jakarta Customs Office for further examination. The truck driver, PY, and the shipment supervisor, YK, were also detained.
According to information obtained from PY, the illegal cigarettes were shipped under the orders of HH, a controller based in Pamekasan, destined for a warehouse in Jalan Kampung Kemerangngen, Taman Baru, Taktakan District, Serang City, Banten. On Sunday (07/06), a joint team from Customs and the TNI Military Police (Puspom TNI) conducted further investigations and discovered an additional 944,000 illegal ‘SS’ brand cigarettes and 41 ‘SS’ brand cigarettes without excise stamps stored in the warehouse. It was found that the cigarettes in the warehouse belonged to AS.
The success of this enforcement also contributes to maintaining the sustainability of the legal tobacco industry and has saved approximately 3,578 hand-rolled cigarette workers from potential job losses.
“This case has been escalated to the investigation stage based on the Order for the Commencement of Investigation (PDP) dated 8 June 2026,” said Enforcement and Investigation official Priyono Triatmojo.
During the investigation process, Customs is collaborating with the Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Metro Jaya Regional Police to ensure the investigation proceeds according to applicable regulations. Currently, PY has been named a suspect, while further investigations and examinations are being conducted on several other parties suspected of being linked to the illegal cigarette distribution network.
“The reason the individual has been named a suspect is that they have carried out this activity (transporting illegal cigarettes) four times,” said Djaka.
Djaka also explained that the illegal cigarettes originated from production centres in East Java, and Customs will trace the shipment back to the owner of the goods.
Furthermore, the Commander of the TNI Military Police (Danpuspom TNI), Major General Yusri Nuryanto, stated that there was the involvement of certain military personnel.
“I and the TNI Military Police have secured the individual involved. As we expand the investigation, there are several others suspected of involvement,” Yusri said during the press conference.
Yusri added that the involved military personnel would face the heaviest possible sanctions, including potential dismissal.