The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) of Indonesia conducted four enforcement operations between August and September 2026 at Tanjung Perak Port, the Bogor Bonded Zone, the Gosong Bunga-Bunga waters in the Malacca Strait off North Sumatra, and Tanjung Priok Port, seizing a batch of smuggled goods with mismatched declarations.

According to disclosures, law enforcement personnel detained a total of 30 containers containing 397.35 tons of rice and 436.4 tons of salt; they also seized approximately 1,435 bales of second-hand clothing (pressed bales/

balpres). The total value of the seized goods reached 27.339 billion rupiah.

Indonesian Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara explained the consequences of illegal imports at a press conference held in Jakarta on September 22. He noted that illegal rice could harm the interests of farmers and consumers, while the influx of pressed bales of used clothing or illegal second-hand apparel impacts business operators and even the domestic textile industry.

Regarding used clothing, Suahasil explained that pressed bales refer to large quantities of used clothing compressed into a single package, which can be sold differentiated by grade or tier. He stated that such illegal second-hand clothing destined for the Indonesian market affects domestic operators, including tailors and garment manufacturing enterprises, and impacts the textile industry and supporting industries.

On the regulatory level, Suahasil emphasized three key points. First, the on-site integrity of law enforcement personnel, requiring all personnel to perform their duties in an orderly, disciplined, and clean manner; second, strengthening the application of technology, including upgrading X-ray machines, improving container screening systems, and developing intelligence functions. He gave the example that changes in the Harmonized System (HS) code or cargo type in import declarations can serve as early warning signals for further inspection; third, optimizing business processes, emphasizing that while enhancing supervision, the normal circulation of production inputs and essential consumer goods for the public must not be obstructed. As long as regulations and prohibition/restriction requirements are met, the government should provide facilitation without delaying processes, but safety must be ensured.

He concluded that the combination of human resources, technology, and a continuously improving working approach is key to future supervision, which must both promote economic growth and protect society.

For the used clothing trade industry, this enforcement sends a relatively direct signal: the Indonesian market maintains a high-pressure stance on pressed bale imports of used clothing, and the compliance risks of gray channels are rising; at the same time, the Finance Minister's statement directly linking second-hand clothing to local tailors, garment manufacturing enterprises, and the textile and supporting industries means that this issue continues to be examined within a framework of industrial protection. Relevant practitioners need to pay attention to the impact of increasingly strict declaration and inspection procedures at the import stage on supply chain rhythms.

Source: Indonesian Customs Conducts Four Enforcement Operations, Successfully Thwarting Attempts to Smuggle Rice and Used Clothing · Originally published on 2026-09-22