Smuggling of 90.2 Tonnes of Kratom Thwarted at Tanjung Emas Port, Four Suspects Named

An attempt to smuggle 90.2 tonnes of kratom for export through the Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang was thwarted by customs officials. Four individuals have been named as suspects in the case.

According to the Head of the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) for Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Agus Yulianto, the case was uncovered following intelligence information, which led to a physical inspection of the export goods in September 2025.

In the customs documents, the goods were declared as “foodstuff coffee”. However, upon inspection, the contents of the packages turned out to be shredded green leaves.

“Officers found discrepancies in the number of packages, totaling 3,608 bags, as well as indications of document forgery. Laboratory tests confirmed that the goods were kratom (Mitragyna speciosa),” he explained during a press conference on Wednesday (February 25, 2026).

The 90,200 kilograms of kratom were packed in sacks labeled as foodstuff coffee and were intended for export to India. The commodity is known to originate from Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

According to Agus, the perpetrators’ modus operandi was to alter the original documents of the kratom commodity to declare it as foodstuff coffee in order to deceive customs officials. The total value of the goods is estimated at IDR 4.96 billion.

Customs officials have named four suspects, with the initials WI, AS, ME, and MR, who are suspected of falsifying customs documents. The case file has been declared complete and has been transferred to the Semarang District Attorney’s Office for further legal proceedings.

The Vice Governor of Central Java, Taj Yasin Maimoen, expressed his support for the enforcement of customs regulations and international trade.

“On behalf of the Central Java Provincial Government, we support the strict and transparent enforcement of customs regulations as it has a positive impact on economic growth,” he said.

In addition to the kratom smuggling case, the Tanjung Emas Customs Office recorded revenue of IDR 2.32 trillion throughout the 2025 fiscal year, or 111.78 percent of the target. This figure represents a 3.03 percent year-on-year growth.

In terms of supervision, 598 Letters of Evidence of Violation (SBP) were issued, with a total value of goods reaching IDR 87.43 billion.