Customs And Excise Reveals The Mode Of Illegal Cigarette And Alcohol Smuggling In Indonesia

The Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) destroys illegal cigarettes and liquor. (Photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) Askolani said there were several modes used to infiltrate illegal cigarettes and liquor.

Askolani conveyed the first mode, namely that business actors do not attach excise stamps so that they violate statutory provisions.

"So there are several modes. One, not imposed, is not attached to excise stamps, which of course blames the provisions of the law," he said at the press conference agenda 'Dismantling Ex-Country Property and Excise and State Rampasan Goods' at the Customs Headquarters, Wednesday, July 31.

Askolani conveyed the next mode of bringing goods through personal goods.

The government has regulated the limitation on the amount of goods in accordance which is regulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Finance and Regulation of the Minister of Trade.

"For example, passenger luggage, which then has a number according to the provisions that we have to limit, so that we will take the rest," he said.

According to Askolani, smuggling modes can be carried out separately or simultaneously.

So that his party continues to strive to closely monitor this matter.

"So the combination is enforcement of excise, of course, both cigarettes and drinks are not only for domestic purposes, but also imported goods that violate the provisions," he said.

Askolani explained, Customs and Excise destroyed as many as 162,708 bottles of beverages containing ethyl alcohol (MMEA), 12,646,930 cigarettes, 184 cigars, 4,787 other tobacco processing products - extracted and tobacco essens (HPTL-EET), 74,450 grams of molasses, and 40,292 grams of sliced tobacco. With the total value of the goods destroyed is 165 billion rupiah.

The goods that were destroyed were goods resulting from the prosecution of the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation (P2) of Customs and Excise along with three vertical units of Customs and Excise, namely the Banten Customs Regional Office (Kanwil), Merak Customs and Excise, and Soekarno Hatta Customs.

The P2 Directorate took action against 11,066,200 illegal cigarettes that were imported in four different locations in the Cikupa and Cengkareng areas, Banten, on August 23, 2021.

For the synergy between the Directorate of P2, Jampidsus, and the Tangerang District Attorney's Office, the case file for this case has been declared complete and has received a court decision.

Evidence of 11,066,200 cigarettes was seized to be destroyed.

There was also an action of 1,070,800 illegal cigarette cigarettes of various brands of machine kretek cigarettes (SKM) without being attached to excise stamps transported by a truck.

Not only illegal cigarettes, but the Directorate of P2 also took action against 133,724 bottles of former MMEA without excise stamps on the East Coast of Sumatra from October 31, 2014 to November 02, 2014 and 14,805 bottles of ex-imported MMEA without excise stamps in South Tangerang, Banten, on August 20, 2023.

The MMEA action was also carried out by the Banten Customs and Excise Regional Office on 9,363 bottles of MMEA in the operation to monitor excisable goods in the Banten area during 2023.

Meanwhile, from the implementation of market operations in the Banten area and delivery through deposit services in the period December 2022 to June 2023, Merak Customs took 238 bottles of illegal MMEA.

The other goods that were destroyed were the result of the prosecution of Soekarno Hatta's Customs and Excise for the period 2022 to 2023.

In detail, 4,578 bottles of MMEA, 509,930 cigarettes, 4,787 pods vape, 74,450 grams of tobacco molases, 40,292 grams of sliced tobacco, and 184 cigars. All of these items are excisable goods whose income is limited to Indonesia.