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s Idul Fitri approaches, the illegal importation of used clothes into North Sumatra is on the rise, following increasing demand.

North Sumatra Customs and Excise recently foiled two attempts of used clothes smuggling into the country, which had originated from Malaysia.

On July 26, the police stopped a ship transporting used clothes in Percut Sei Tuan waters in Deli Serdang, followed by an arrest on a ship carrying similar goods intercepting in Pematang Sei Baru waters in Asahan, on August 2, said Goodman Purba, the head of the Investigation and Law Enforcement Unit at Customs and Excise.

“From the two operations, we have seized 490 batches of used clothes and 60 pairs of used shoes,” Goodman said, putting the value of the smuggled goods at around Rp 1.3 billion (US$137,800).

Customs also arrested the ships’ five crews, who were allegedly carrying the used garments into the country.

Purba said that Customs officers would intensify the inspection of used clothes smuggling and added that such cases tended to increase ahead of Idul Fitri.

Buying new clothes has long been a tradition among Indonesians to welcome the celebrations of Idul Fitri. People who cannot afford brand new products at shopping centers opt for secondhand items, which are much cheaper.

As stipulated in the 1997 Trade Ministerial Regulation No. 229 on imports, the import of used textiles was strictly forbidden, said Nur Rudi, head of the Investigation Unit at the North Sumatra Customs and Excise.

Despite the government ban, secondhand garments imported from neighboring countries continued to flood into the province.

“Based on our investigations, the syndicates behind the alleged smuggling have been freely operating. They mostly use small harbors to transport the smuggled goods from Malaysia,” said Rudi, adding that there was a presumption that the perpetrators were local residents.

In the last seven months, Belawan Customs and Excise officers had foiled seven smuggling attempts, said Rudi.

He acknowledged that the officials had difficulties in eradicating the rampant smuggling of used garments because of the large coastal areas in the province and the limited number of ships used to patrol around the waters.