The Jakarta Police’s special crime directorate has arrested four people suspected of smuggling billions of rupiah worth of cosmetics, drugs, food and electronic appliances from China.

All four are Chinese nationals and were detained in Tegar Port and the Marunda Center Terminal in Bekasi, West Java.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Eddy Pramono said the police had received three separate reports about them on July 27, July 29 and Aug. 7.

“Starting with the reports, we investigated the case and arrested the four suspects,” Gatot said on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

He further explained that the illegal products had come from China and was smuggled through Malaysia before entering Indonesia by land in Kalimantan.

“They allegedly used trucks and reached the island of Java [by ships] through Marunda Port. The products were going to be sold in Asemka Market in Jakarta and several other places in West and Central Java, as well as in Sulawesi,” he added.

The group allegedly brought in products four times a month, making up to Rp 68 billion (US$4.7 million). This means, Gatot pointed out, that they could earn about Rp 818 billion a year.

“Some of them had been doing this for eight years, another for five years and one for a year. Imagine Rp 818 billion times eight,” he said.

Eight trucks containing 48,641 electronic appliances and 1,024,193 cosmetics and illegal drugs were confiscated as evidence.

The suspects were charged under multiple articles of the Health Law, the Food Law, the Trade Law and Consumer Protection Law, all of which carry a maximum punishment of five years in prison. (vla)