Madura Customs Confiscates 1.3 Million Illegal Cigarettes In Operation At The Suramadu Bridge Access Entrance

Customs officers confiscated millions of illegal cigarettes during a joint operation on the Suramadu Bridge on November 17, 2021. (Madura Customs Public Relations)

JAKARTA - Madura Customs Office officers, East Java, confiscated 1.3 million illegal cigarettes or cigarettes that were not attached with excise stamps during an illegal cigarette distribution operation by a joint team held at the entrance to the Suramadu Bridge access on November 17, 2021.

"Based on our calculations, the potential loss to the state from the illegal cigarettes that we managed to confiscate is around Rp716 million more," said Madura Customs Public Relations Officer Tesar Pratama in Pamekasan, Tuesday.

Millions of illegal cigarettes were found by officers when they were about to cross the bridge connecting the islands of Java and Madura, namely the Suramadu Bridge.

Illegal cigarettes with a total of 1,364,000 sticks or worth more than Rp1.3 billion were transported by two types of vehicles, namely trucks and pickups.

"When we entered the entrance of the Suramadu bridge, we stopped the vehicle and found illegal cigarettes," said Tesar.

The officers then confiscated the illegal cigarettes that were not attached with the excise stamp, including the drivers of the two vehicles transporting the millions of illegal cigarettes.

"Currently, we have confiscated the evidence from the officers confiscated during the operation to circulate illegal cigarettes on the Suramadu Bridge at the Madura Customs Office," he said, explaining.

To account for his actions, officers ensnared cigarette owners with Article 54 and/or 56 of Law Number 39 of 2007 concerning Amendments to Law Number: 11 of 1995 concerning Excise.

Article 54 explains that any person who offers, delivers, sells, or provides for sale excisable goods which are not packaged for retail sale or are not attached with excise stamps or are not affixed with other signs of payment of excise, shall be punished with imprisonment of at least 1 (one) one) year and a maximum of 5 (five) years and/or a fine of at least 2 (two) times the excise value and a maximum of 10 (ten) times the excise value that should be paid.

In Article 56 of the statutory provisions it is explained that, any person who hoards, keeps, possesses, sells, exchanges, obtains, or gives excisable goods which he knows or should reasonably suspect originated from a criminal act based on this law shall be punished with imprisonment. a minimum of 1 (one) year and a maximum of 5 (five) years and a fine of at least 2 (two) times the value of excise duty and a maximum of 10 times the value of excise that should be paid.

Based on this provision, those who have the potential to be punished are not only owners and dealers of illegal cigarettes, but also truck and pickup drivers who transport illegal cigarettes, including buyers of illegal cigarettes.

According to Madura Customs and Excise Public Relations Officer, Tesar Pratama, the illegal cigarette operation as held at the Suramadu Bridge was not the first time.

Previously, Customs and Excise also carried out operations in three other districts on Madura Island, namely Pamekasan, Sampang, and Sumenep, and more than 5 million illegal cigarettes were confiscated.

"This operation activity is also the use of the Tobacco Products Excise Revenue Sharing Fund (DBHCHT) in the field of law enforcement received by the Bangkalan Regency Government, and therefore, during the operation, Madura Customs and Excise also collaborated with the Bangkalan Regency Government," he said.

Reporter: Abd Aziz