Finance Minister: Export Duty Suspected of Triggering Increase in Gold Smuggling

Tangerang (ANTARA) - Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that the increase in gold smuggling cases out of the country in 2026 is suspected to have been triggered by the additional incentive of export duty on gold exports.

“The activity increased because currently an export duty is imposed on gold, so perpetrators who are reluctant to pay try to smuggle it to make a profit,” Purbaya said during the disclosure of a 23.793 kilogram gold export smuggling case worth Rp63 billion at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday.

He said that the existence of the export duty on gold has caused syndicates and perpetrators to increase their smuggling activities recklessly using various methods in order to gain profit.

“Previously this was not so rampant, but now it is rampant because there is an additional incentive for those who take it out without paying,” he said.

Nevertheless, his ministry, through the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, is increasing supervision and investigations into the main players behind the rampant gold smuggling from within the country.

“This is strongly suspected to have links with illegal mining (PETI) parties. The implemented policy has proven to be quite disruptive to the related PETI parties, resulting in an increase in smuggling. Supervision at all exit points in Indonesia will be tightened,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Director of Specific Crimes at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency, Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni, added that the discovery of the case involving tens of kilogrammes of gold by Customs indicates criminal violations committed by the parties involved.

“As long as there are illegal mining activities, the smuggling network will continue to modify its modus operandi so that gold can leave Indonesian territory. PETI is certainly closely linked to this smuggling,” he said.

In this regard, he confirmed that the National Police, as a law enforcement institution, is committed to investigating the gold smuggling case, including searching for parties directly involved in the syndicate.

“We will also supervise exit points such as airports in cooperation with Customs and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources,” he said.