West Java Legislator Calls for Deterrent Effect on Illegal Cigarette Traffickers

A member of the West Java Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) has stated that authorised agencies must create a deterrent effect against perpetrators of illegal cigarette distribution to prevent continuous state losses from uncirculated excise goods. Aten Munajat, a member of Commission V of the West Java DPRD, said that the approach should not merely involve raids and destruction, but must include regulations that deliver a deterrent effect. Speaking in Garut Regency on Saturday, he noted that local governments, through the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) and Customs and Excise, have been actively conducting operations to eradicate illegal cigarettes circulating in West Java communities. He referred to the recent destruction of approximately four million cigarette sticks at Garut Town Square, emphasising that such cases must be traced back to the manufacturers for legal prosecution. Aten, who represents the Garut electoral district, expressed appreciation for the punitive measure of destroying illegal cigarettes. However, he stressed that the problem should not be a recurring cycle of emergence, raids, and destruction, but must be resolved thoroughly by taking action against the factories or parties producing the cigarettes illegally. He added that information received indicated the illegal cigarettes circulating in West Java were supplied from outside the region, and that West Java has not been a supplier but merely a target market. He urged that enforcement should prevent the goods from being brought into West Java in the first place. Aten added that authorised officers in the region should not only destroy evidence of illegal cigarettes but also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in other regions to take firm action against the manufacturers.