Kendari Customs Eradication 'Rp 1.8 Billion' But In The Form Of Illegal Cigarettes And Alcoholic Drinks

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - Kendari destroyed millions of illegal cigarettes and drinks containing Ethyl alcohol (MMEA). In total, the goods destroyed were worth Rp. 1,807,022,000.

Kendari Customs Head, Purwatmo Hadi Waluja said the destruction of State Property (BMN) was the result of prosecution from August 2021 to July 2022.

"The number of state-owned goods destroyed today are 1,513,860 tobacco palms (HT) and 676 liters of drinks containing ethyl alcohol with an estimated value of IDR 1,807,022,000," said Purwatmo, Wednesday, September 21, quoted from Antara.

He said the potential loss to the state reached Rp1,375,433,000. Throughout August 2021 to July 2022, his party has issued 149 Cases of Enforcement (SBP) against Excise Goods that do not meet the provisions of the legislation, which comes from target operations, market operations (Illegal Cigarettes), land patrols and marine patrols.

The Excise goods taken by the prosecution consisted of 10 SBP in the form of drinks containing ethyl alcohol and 139 SBP in the form of tobacco products with the type of violation, namely violating Article 54 of Law Number 11 of 1995 in conjunction with Law Number 39 of 2007 concerning Excise.

The goods resulting from the action were then designated as State Property and had received approval for allocation from the Kendari State Property and Auction Service Office (KPKNL) to be destroyed.

The destruction is carried out by burning, breaking and hoarding with soil, the purpose of which is to damage or eliminate the initial function and nature of the goods so that they cannot be used.

During 2022 Kendari Customs and Excise has conducted two investigations of criminal acts in the field of Excise, with evidence in the form of excisable goods excisable from tobacco in the form of cigarettes that are not attached with 1,161,000 excise stamps, with an estimated value of goods of Rp. 1,513,321,000 with a potential loss to the state of Rp. 951,159,000.

"After the simultaneous Operation for Illegal Cigarettes I was carried out simultaneously throughout Indonesia in May - June 2022, this September, Customs and Excise will carry out the second Illegal Cigarettes Combat Operation simultaneously throughout Indonesia. And today's extermination activity is part of the Illegal Cigarette Combat Operation," he said.

He asked business actors to always comply with statutory provisions in the field of excise and appealed to the public not to buy and distribute illegal cigarettes, and to report to Customs and Excise if they know of indications of illegal cigarette circulation.

In addition to destroying BMN, Kendari Customs and Excise also handed over BMN grants to the Kendari City Government, in the form of a total of 46 fire extinguishers, consisting of 26 Fire Extinguisher 3 kg and 20 50 kg Fire Extinguisher units.

The 46 units of fire extinguishers are the result of Kendari Customs Enforcement in 2020, which violated the provisions of Law Number 10 of 1995 in conjunction with Law Number 17 of 2006 concerning Customs.