Used car smuggling rife in Belawan

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The Sumatra Corruption Watch (SCW) organization called on the North Sumatra provincial authorities to take resolute action against the rampant smuggling of foreign used cars and engines through Belawan seaport, some 15 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Medan.

"According to our investigations, thousands of used luxury cars, trucks and engines have been smuggled into the province this year, but no cases have been brought to court," R. Yusuf, coordinator of SCW, said here on Saturday.

The smuggling has gone undetected because of alleged collusion between local importers, and customs and excise officers at the seaport, he said.

"You will not get any satisfactory answers as to why because the local customs and excise office will certainly deny the smuggling while the police will say they have difficulties in investigating it. But the smuggling, in fact, keeps continuing. This month, the police confiscated dozens of foreign used cars with local registration plates in the city," he told The Jakarta Post

Yusuf said that according to SCW's investigation, dozens of used cars and engines from Japan, Singapore and Malaysia were smuggled into the province every week.

"In the coming ten years, North Sumatra will become a dumping site for foreign used cars," he said, citing that besides Belawan, Sabang freeport was being used to smuggle foreign used cars into Aceh.

Separately, Irham Buana Nasution, director of the Medan Legal Aid Institution (LBH Medan), conceded that it was very difficult to curb the used car smuggling because it was committed by a well-organized syndicate that involved local officials and security personnel.

"The rampant smuggling will be halted only if police from other provinces are deployed or professional investigators are hired to investigate it," he said.

IS, 26, a former student in Tokyo, conceded that he has recently brought in two luxury used cars without the required documents through the seaport after paying a certain amount of money to local officials.

"I bought the Royal Saloon Twin Cam and Super Custom Extra Crista Toyota cars at a price of 20,000 yen per unit (Rp 1,600,000 or US$160) because in that country, they would have to be dumped," he said, citing that the two cars sold for a total of Rp 200 million.

Ibrahim Karim, chief of the Belawan customs and excise office, denied the allegations of rampant smuggling, saying he could show the records for all cars imported through the seaport.

"All cars and engines brought in through the seaport have their official documents and my office is ready to be audited," he said.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Amrin Karim, spokesman for the North Sumatra Provincial Police, said the police had difficulties in halting the smuggling because the deals were conducted offshore.

"But the police are still investigating the history of dozens of foreign used cars that were seized from their owners for not having the necessary documents," he said.