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Customs and Excise blocks distribution of illegal cigarettes
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I
ndonesia’s Customs and Excise department is always vigilant in monitoring the circulation of illegal cigarettes, a prohibited business that is rampant in Sidoarjo, East Java, and Tegal, Central Java.
Head of the Sub-directorate of Public Relations and Customs Counseling Hatta Wardhana recently announced that his team had successfully seized and prevented the effort to circulate cigarettes without attached excise tapes in Sidoarjo regency on April 16.
“In this operation, 240,000 cigarettes of various brands were seized that did not have excise stamps attached and which were being transported using private vehicles. The estimated value of the goods is Rp 273 million and the potential loss to the state is Rp 144 million. This potential loss to the state is calculated from the value of excise duty, VAT on tobacco products, and cigarette taxes that should have been paid," he said.
The customs team in Tegal also had a recent success in preventing the distribution of illegal cigarettes throughout the Java-Sumatra network on the Semarang-Batang toll road on April 21. Customs officers found 2 million illegal cigarettes without excise stamps, worth an estimated Rp 2.3 billion representing a potential state loss of Rp 1.5 billion.
The cigarettes, a truck and two suspects—the driver and assistant—have been detained at the customs office in Tegal pending further investigation. Those caught circulating illegal cigarettes face charges under Article 54 of Law No. 39/2007.
"This action is proof of the seriousness of Customs and Excise in carrying out their duties in protecting the public from the dangers of illegal goods without compromising the security of state revenues. Customs and Excise will continue to improve the supervision of illegal cigarettes, not only from the frequency of operations but also in a more coordinated form of operation accompanied by an intensive publicity campaign about illegal cigarettes," said Hatta.
