Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Finance Ministry recently destroyed shipments of smuggled used clothes in several regions of Indonesia. Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, stated that the majority of these illegal imports originated from Malaysia.
Djaka explained that crackdowns occurred in two locations: Kalimantan and the Malacca Strait, both of which border Malaysia.
"The highest frequency of imports into Indonesian territory comes from Malaysia. Because almost all of the shipments that enter [the country] always come through Malaysia," he said at a press conference at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Thursday, August 14, 2025.
The former high-ranking military officer also acknowledged that illegal clothing imports also come from other countries. However, he stopped short of mentioning which ones.
Customs and Excise is continuing its efforts to stop these shipments at various border crossings. Indonesian regulations prohibit the import of second-hand clothes, a policy outlined in the Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) number 18/2021, which was later updated by Permendag number 40/2022.
Recent operations and future actions
A recent joint operation with the Navy at Tanjung Priok Port led to a seizure. From August 9-12, 2025, authorities confiscated 747 bales of clothing and accessories, along with 8 bales of used bags, with a total estimated value of Rp1.5 billion.
Djaka emphasized that Customs and Excise will not only destroy the confiscated goods but also pursue legal action, including investigation and surveillance. He urged the public to report illegal import activities, similar to the tip that led to the Tanjung Priok seizure, noting that thousands of goods enter the country daily.
Impact on economy and public health
Director of Communication and Guidance for Customs Service Users, Nirwala Dwi Heriyanto, stated that the recent case at Tanjung Priok is just one of many successful operations. From 2024 to 2025, Customs and Excise conducted 2,584 crackdowns, seizing a total of 12,808 units of evidence with an estimated value of Rp49.44 billion.
According to Nirwala, these illegal shipments cause intangible losses beyond their monetary value, such as tarnishing the nation's image in the eyes of the world, potentially spreading diseases through viruses and bacteria, disrupting the domestic textile industry, and reducing the market share of local products.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2039705/customs-reveals-smuggled-used-clothes-mostly-from-malaysi