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Police break up ring smuggling textiles from China
The total value of the smuggled goods is estimated at Rp 9 billion (US$643,410). The loss of unpaid customs duties is estimated at Rp 4.9 billion.
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The Jakarta Police show evidence of used textiles, clothes and shoes smuggled from China at the police headquarters in South Jakarta on Sept. 12. (kompas.com/Bonfilio Mahendra Wahanaputra Ladjar)
T
he Jakarta Police have broken up a ring smuggling used clothes, textiles and shoes from China to Indonesia. The total value of the smuggled goods is estimated at Rp 9 billion (US$643,410). The loss of unpaid customs duties is estimated at Rp 4.9 billion.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Gatot Eddy Pramono said the textile items were smuggled through Pasir Gudang Johor Port to Kuching Port in Sarawak, Malaysia. The goods were then sent by truck to an Indonesian border town in West Kalimantan.
“The smuggled goods were then transported using Fuso trucks from Pontianak [West Kalimantan] to Dwikora Port. Afterward they were shipped on the Fajar Bahari vessel to Tegar Marunda Center Port in Bekasi [West Java],” Gatot said.
The police have named six suspects in the case, identified only by the initials PL, 63, H, 30, AD, 33, EK, 44, NS, 47, and TKD, 45. The six suspects were arrested in three different locations in Bekasi, Central Jakarta and North Jakarta.
The police also seized textile bales, new clothes, used clothes and shoes.
The six suspects will be charged under Law No. 7/2014 on trade, with a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment and Rp 5 billion in fines. They also face charges under Law No. 8/1999 on consumer protection, which carries a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp 2 billion.
Second-hand fashion items are illegally smuggled into Indonesia to cater to the huge demand from thrift markets in the country.
Buying thrift clothes has become a trend in Indonesia, with fashion enthusiasts opting to buy second-hand clothes for their cheap prices and unique designs.
Pasar Senen Market and Pasar Baru Market in Central Jakarta are among the two centers for second-hand clothes in Jakarta.
Pasar Senen hosts hundreds of tenants selling second-hand or residual imported fashion items. (gis)
