BENGKALIS - Bengkalis Customs, Riau, thwarted the smuggling of 652 units of used iPhones of various types from Malaysia with an estimated value of goods reaching IDR 4.09 billion.
Head of the Bengkalis Customs Office, Novryansyah, said the value of the goods resulting from the action was estimated at Rp4,095,873,798 with a potential loss of state that was successfully saved around Rp950,242,721.
"All of these devices are suspected of entering Indonesian territory without going through official customs procedures to avoid the obligation to pay import duties and taxes," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, July 3.
He explained that the disclosure of the case began on Saturday (27/6) when the passenger ship MV Oceanna 5 arrived at the Bandar Sri Setia Raja Bengkalis International Port after sailing from Muar, Malaysia.
While conducting surveillance at the arrival area, customs officers found a trolley containing six large boxes wrapped in black plastic and left without an owner.
Officers then waited for a while in the sterilization area to make sure there was someone who recognized the goods. However, until all passengers left the port, no one came to pick up the six boxes.
With the crew of MV Oceanna 5 watching, the officers took the goods to the X-ray examination room for further examination.
The scan results showed a pile of electronic devices inside the box. After the packaging was opened, officers found 652 units of used iPhones of various types that were suspected of being illegally distributed in Indonesia.
"When the black plastic bag was torn open, officers found hundreds of units of ready-to-sell used iPhones," he said.
According to Novryansyah, all the evidence has been secured for further investigation to reveal the parties responsible for the smuggling attempt.
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