In the Last 7 Months, the West Java Customs and Excise Regional Office Confiscated 23 Million Illegal Cigarettes

Illegal Cigarette Illustration (ANTARA)

BANDUNG - The Regional Office of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise or West Java Customs and Excise Kanwil confiscated 23 million illegal cigarettes ready for distribution during the period January to July 2023 or for around the last 7 months.

Millions of illegal cigarettes were confiscated through a massive illegal cigarette raid program this year.

"We are carrying out a very massive program to combat illegal cigarettes in 2023. It looks so numerous and massive, especially in the West Java region," said Head of the West Java Regional Office of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise Finari Manan, Wednesday, August 30.

Finari Manan added that the crackdown on illegal cigarettes in 2023 will be twice as high as the crackdown in 2022.

"This shows that we need to be careful, it could be shifting that people do. They usually consume class 1 cigarettes and then switch to class 2 and 3 cigarettes," he said.

"Because the price of cigarettes continues to increase, they (the public) are thinking about buying illegal cigarettes, without excise duty and not for their intended purpose," he said.

During the period from January to July 2023, the West Java Regional Office of Customs and Excise has secured as many as 23 million illegal cigarettes that are ready for distribution.

"From January to July 2023, we have confiscated 23 million illegal cigarettes," he explained.

To equip officers when carrying out action in the field, West Java Customs and Excise officers are equipped with special skills such as self-defense, using weapons and safe driving.

"So that it becomes a provision for officers to take action, which is often carried out at night, which can threaten the safety of officers," he said.