Preventive measures, especially preventing the entry of drugs to Indonesia, represents one of the Customs and Excise Office’s missions, which aligns with the office’s function and task as community protector, which has the authority to conduct supervision and take measures in accordance with the Customs Law to protect the public from the entry of illicit and restrictive substances, including narcotics, psychotropics and precursor (PPP).

Through its function as community protector and in relation with the prevention of the drug trafficking in Indonesia, the Customs and Excise Office, as the guard of the national border, has a crucial role to play under the concept of supply reduction. The goal is to cut the supply chain of the drugs, starting rom the producers to the distributor networks. Moreover, today, the geographically strategic location has led to Indonesia not only becoming a transit state for but the target of drug distribution.

“We focus all of our efforts and resources on detecting and foiling efforts to smuggle narcotics and precursor entering Indonesian regions,” said the head of the Public Relations and Customs Counselling Subdirectorate at the Customs and Excise Directorate General, Encep Dudi Ginanjar.

In 2024, the customs office has continued to succeed in carrying out drug prevention measures. Data shows that as of June 23, 2024, the Directorate of Interdiction of Narcotics at the Customs and Excise Directorate General, the unit authorized to uncover crime network related to NPP, and other vertical units at the customs office in various regions, and in synergy with other law enforcers, has handled 580 cases of the NPP abuse.

Some 2.94 tonnes of NPP from the cases have been preserved as evidence. They consist of 840,082 grams of non-organic NPP in the form of powder, liquid or crystal and 166,125 granules of non-organic NPP in the form of tablets/pills.

The aforementioned figures are projected to increase given that throughout 2023, the Customs and Excise Office handled 956 drug cases with evidence comprising 5,977,587.39 grams and 77,000 cannabis stems. The actions have saved the lives of 18,031.562 people and have potentially saved state funds as a result of the rehabilitation program for drug abuse reaching approximately Rp 16.19 trillion.

Encep pointed out that NPP crime was categorized as an extraordinary crime due to the wide distribution network and was organized systematically. To resolve the issue, the Customs and Excise Directorate General, certainly, cannot work alone.

(Courtesy of Finance Ministry)

“Collaborative endeavors have to be made. That’s why we also rely on the extra supervision that synergizing all law enforcement officers in Indonesia,” he said.

Apart from that, as mandated in Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 2/2020, the Customs and Excise Directorate General can play an increasingly active role in bolstering other law enforcement officers in carrying out the function of preventing drug trafficking.

“Without collaboration between institutions, it will be increasingly difficult to carry out law enforcement efforts and can potentially increase crime-related NPP in Indonesia’s region. For that reason, it is of paramount importance to have assistance and supports such as data/information management, socialization and knowledge sharing, personnel support, facility and infrastructure, prevention of law violation and other activities agreed upon by law enforcement officers,” he added.

Since 2022, the customs office has been collaborating with the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the National Police in optimizing their respective function and task in combating the abuse and black market trade of NPP (P4GN). 

The Customs and Excise Directorate General and the BNN have collaborated in the exchange of data and information, the implementation of joint operations, the utilization of the resources that they have, enhancing and scaling up human resource capacity and increasing the capability of police dogs (K-9 units). While the scope of collaboration between the Customs and Excise Office and the National Police includes data and information exchange and the utilization of facilities and infrastructure.

Encep emphasized that collaboration had become a core value that the Customs Office embraced to optimize safety and supervision related to the movement of goods to and from Indonesia, including in terms of preventive measures against narcotics.

“The better the coordination that we have, the increasingly easier for every party to cope with the NPP criminal acts. We hope, with the spirit of HANI 2024, the Customs and Excise [Directorate General] and other law enforcement officers and the public can establish stronger synergy in fighting against the abuse and black trade of narcotics,” Encep said.

This article is published in collaboration with Finance Ministry