Thwart The Circulation Of Illegal Garments, Customs And Excise Consider Confiscated Goods Distributed To Disaster Victims

The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) succeeded in thwarting the circulation of illegal garment products. (Photo: Aris Nurjani / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) succeeded in thwarting the circulation of illegal garment products, and it is possible that confiscated goods from the action of the ballpress will be used as assistance for disaster victims.

Director of Communication and Guidance for Users of Customs and Excise Services Nirwala Dwi Heryanto explained that confiscated goods from the action of the ballpress could in principle be used for humanitarian assistance and so far, confiscated goods are usually destroyed because they are categorized as illegal.

"There is (an option for disaster victims). We will try later depending on where the government wants to direct it," he told the media crew, Thursday, December 11.

He added that the government has full authority to determine the use of confiscated goods after the research and investigation process is complete, whether it will be destroyed later, distributed as disaster assistance, or used according to other needs.

"So if the goods violate, of course, they will become state property. They can be destroyed or for other purposes. Who knows, our brothers and sisters can be used and used for those in need," he explained.

Nirwala emphasized that there are several utilization options, namely being destroyed, donated for certain purposes, or auctioned off and final decisions regarding the direction of use of goods will be determined by the Directorate General of State Assets.

"There is an option, yes. One, destroyed. Second, donated for certain and third purposes, auctioned off. Later, friends from the Director General of State Assets will decide where to go. If this is considered to damage the industry, it will be destroyed," he said.

Previously, Customs and Excise thwarted an attempt to smuggle illegal garment through two separate operations, namely the first action targeting three containers arriving at Sunda Kelapa Port, Jakarta, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, where there were two containers containing illegal garment and one container containing machines transported by KM Indah Costa from Kijang Harbor, Riau Islands.

From the manifest inspection, KM Indah Costa carried 44 containers, of which 13 contained cargo and officers found three containers that were notified as mixed goods and prayer mats, but indicated containing illegal goods.

Then the follow-up was carried out with supervision of the demolition at the recipient's warehouse in Muara Karang, while one container remained at Sunda Kelapa Harbor.

The results of the examination showed that two containers contained clothes, so they were suspected of being illegal ex-imports, and one other container loaded the engine.

The second operation was carried out on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, against two trucks loaded with clothesballpress at KM 116 Palembang Toll Road Lumpung.

This action began with a public report regarding the alleged shipment of illegal clothes from Jambi to Jakarta and the Customs and Excise P2 team, supported by BAIS TNI and the West Sumatra Customs Regional Office, immediately conducting a search.

Petugas kemudian menemukan dua truk berlat nomor BM 8746 AU dan BM 8476 AU sedang berhenti di rest area KM 116, serta pemeriksaan awal mengungkapkan bahwa truk-truk tersebut menggangkut pakaian baru dalam bentuk ballpress dengan label negara asal seperti China dan Bangladesh.

The Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, stated that the two actions would be followed up with a comprehensive process of research and investigation.

He emphasized that the prosecution was not only aimed at the transport parties, but also the owners of goods and other parties involved in the distribution network.

Keberhasilan operasi ini merupakan hasil kerja sama erat dengan berbagai instansi dan dukungan informasi dari masyarakat.

“Pengawasan yang efektif tidak hanya bertumpu pada teknologi dan sumber daya, tetapi juga partisipasi masyarakat. Informasi dari publik sangat membantu kami dalam menindak jaringan penyelundupan,” ujarnya.

The success of this operation is the result of close cooperation with various agencies and information support from the public.

Effective monitoring does not only rely on technology and resources, but also public participation. Information from the public really helps us in cracking down on smuggling networks," he said.

Djaka ensured that Customs and Excise would continue to strengthen supervision to suppress the distribution of illegal goods that could potentially disrupt the national economy and harm the domestic industry.