TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsBatam Customs Office uncovers new way to smuggle used clothing
For a fee, packages containing used clothing can be taken by passengers as carry on luggage or registered as checked baggage.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
An officer with the Batam Customs and Excise Office inspects luggage containing used clothing on Dec. 10, 2025, in Batam, Riau Islands. As of Dec. 8, the Batam Customs had confiscated 682 packages of used clothing. (Courtesy of Batam Customs and Excise Office/-)
T
he Batam Customs and Excise Office has acted against used apparel being imported as passenger carry-on baggage, recording 682 packages confiscated this year as of Monday.
The modus operandi is someone taking custody of another person’s luggage and then transporting it through the international ferry port serving Batam to Singapore and Malaysia routes.
An average of 56 packages were confiscated per month. The Batam Center International Ferry Port recorded 78 violations and 358 packages of used clothing, Batam Customs chief Zaky Firmansyah said in a press release on Wednesday.
Zaky said in addition to being carried directly by passengers, another often-used modus operandi is asking other passengers to register checked in baggage containing used clothing under their names for a fee.
This modus operandi usually uses used luggage with uniformed size and physical features and is often used by international passengers because the payment they receive could cover their boarding fees in Malaysia or Singapore.
Previously, this method was used by smugglers to import iPhones. Passengers holding passports issued in Batam are free from taxes and import duties when registering IMEI numbers. The tax-free facility caused a surge of passengers carrying iPhones into Batam.
Zaky said the actions taken against illegal used clothing imports was in line with the finance minister’s guidance to protect the Indonesian economy and the public. Used clothing imports are believed not only to pose a risk to public health but also to directly impact the textile industry and domestic micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
