A recent crackdown on the illegal importation of alcoholic drinks from South Korea may lead authorities to a wider network of illicit businesses run by Korean residents.
A recent cache of nearly 130,00 bottles of mostly South Korean liquor may lead the Finance Ministry's directorate general of customs and excise to a more sophisticated smuggling network run by South Koreans living in Indonesia.
"It seems the cache is part of a bigger network of organized crime here," said prevention and investigation head of Tanjung Priok customs office Bonar Lumban Raja on Thursday.
Bonar, who was appointed to his current post just a month ago, believes the smuggling has been going on for a long time.
A South Korean with the initials KHK and his Indonesian accomplice with the initials MAA are currently being detained at the headquarters of the customs office in East Jakarta. They were arrested two days ago, according to director general of customs and excise Anwar Suprijadi.
"Three other Indonesian accomplices are currently on the run and we are hunting them down," he said.
The customs office detained the smuggled container of soju and rice wine worth a total of US$1.5 million in mid May after it was noticed that the importers had forged import documents.
A further investigation of the case led the customs officials to raid three warehouses belonging to KHK in Taman Simprug and Delta Niaga, Bekasi and Karawaci, Banten.
KHK has been in Indonesia for just three months and is believed to have been trained to run the practice by someone who has been living in Indonesia for decades and can speak Indonesian fluently, a source at the customs office said.
South Koreans in Indonesia are rarely involved in crimes.
"This is a small hint that will enable us to pursue the big fish of the South Korean syndicate," said section head of prevention and investigation of the Tanggerang customs office Albert Simorangkir, who led the raid on the Karawaci warehouse.
The area 20 minutes west of Jakarta is believed to be a hub for the trade in illegally smuggled goods from South Korea.
With around 40,000 official resident permits, South Koreans make up the largest group of expatriates in Indonesia. The figure excludes Korean's here on short visits.
"As many as 40 percent of them live in Karawaci and the surrounding areas," said Albert, adding the smuggling was unlikely a result of the recent government policy restricting the import of unessential goods including alcoholic drinks.
He said there were indications the South Korean syndicate regularly smuggled food and beverages from their country into Indonesia to meet the large demand for the products from the Korean community.
The importation of alcoholic drinks - including liquor, spirits and wine - to Indonesia is monopolized by state company PT Sarinah. The importation of alcoholic beverages is taxed at 500 percent.
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