Klojen (malangkota.go.id) – 7.509 packs of illegal cigarettes were confiscated by officers during a joint operation carried out by officers from the Malang City Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), the Malang Type Medium Customs and Excise Supervision and Service Office (KPPBC), the TNI-Polri and the Malang City District Attorney's Office, Wednesday (6/11/2024).
Head of Malang City Satpol PP Heru Mulyono said that this joint operation was carried out as an effort to enforce regulations and create public order in the Malang City area, especially in order to eradicate illegal excise goods.
This operation is also an implementation of the utilization of the Tobacco Excise Revenue Sharing Fund (DBHCHT). "This is one of our steps in cracking down on the circulation of illegal cigarettes and educating the public, especially retailers, about the consequences that can arise," he explained.
This joint operation targeted nine grocery stores in the Malang City area. In addition to conducting confiscations, the joint team also provided education and socialization to shop owners not to sell illegal cigarettes again. "In the future, we hope that action can be taken periodically so that the circulation of illegal excise goods can continue to decline because it can harm state revenues," concluded Heru.
Separately, the First Expert Customs Inspector of the Malang Customs Office, Agnita Adityawardani, said that from the results of the action, the estimated loss reached Rp111.097.712,00. Agnita explained that the circulation of illegal cigarettes not only harms the country's economy, but also creates unhealthy competition for the legitimate tobacco industry.
"The impacts are widespread, ranging from state revenue losses, unfair competition, to social impacts that are detrimental to public health. Therefore, it is important to increase law enforcement efforts and awareness of the role of society in combating the circulation of illegal cigarettes," he said.
With the joint operation, Agnita hopes that the circulation of illegal cigarettes in the market can be significantly suppressed, the legal cigarette industry can be more competitive with reasonable prices and guaranteed quality, because it operates in accordance with existing regulations without having to lower quality to face competition. Through this joint operation, it is also hoped that public awareness of the dangers of illegal cigarettes will increase. (iu/yn)
