Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Directorate General of Customs has foiled attempts to smuggle a total of 29 kilograms of gold worth around Rp73.3 billion through four international airports.
The four airports are Kualanamu in North Sumatra, Soekarno-Hatta in Banten, I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Bali, and Sam Ratulangi in North Sulawesi, where the enforcement actions took place between September 5 and 14, 2026.
“From September 5 to 14, Customs officers seized various types of gold weighing approximately 29 kilograms at four international airports,” Director General of Customs Djaka Budhi said at a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to Djaka, the series of enforcement actions had prevented potential losses of state revenue amounting to Rp8.5 billion.
The smuggling methods varied, ranging from concealing suspected gold inside electronic equipment and carrying gold in passengers’ luggage to hiding it on the body using the body-strapping method.
At Kualanamu International Airport, the enforcement action took place on Monday (Sept 14) after Customs officers suspected that an Indian national identified by the initials NU was carrying gold concealed inside electronic devices. NU was a passenger bound for Bangkok, Thailand.
After inspecting the luggage, officers found four pieces of metal suspected to be gold, with a total weight of approximately 1,522 grams. The items were estimated to be worth Rp3.95 billion, with potential state revenue losses of Rp383 million.
Meanwhile, at Terminal III of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, officers on Thursday (Sept 10) detained two Chinese nationals identified by the initials MZ and SL, who were bound for Hong Kong and suspected of carrying gold out of Indonesia without the required Customs documents.
The Customs officers coordinated with aviation security personnel, immigration officers, and the airline to monitor the two passengers after an analysis of information indicated a recurring pattern in the smuggling of gold.
“The pattern shows that the perpetrators are generally foreign nationals traveling to Hong Kong, carrying gold in cabin luggage and backpacks and wrapping the gold in duct tape to evade detection,” Djaka said.
A search of MZ and SL found five cast bars weighing 5,026.5 grams in total in SL’s backpack and another five cast bars weighing 5,026.5 grams in MZ’s cabin luggage. All the gold was wrapped in duct tape and estimated to be worth Rp25.3 billion, with potential state revenue losses of Rp2.5 billion.
Additionally, on Sunday (Sept 6), Customs officers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport foiled an attempt to smuggle gold bars out of Indonesia. Officers detained a Chinese national identified by the initials ZG who was carrying 14 gold bars weighing 10,418.3 grams. The gold, estimated to be worth Rp26 billion, was concealed using the body-strapping method. The case potentially caused Rp3.9 billion in losses to state revenue.
On Saturday (Sept 5), a joint team of Customs officers from the North Sulawesi and North Maluku Regional Office in Manado conducted two enforcement actions at the Sam Ratulangi International Airport.
The officers detained three Chinese nationals identified by the initials JM, ZW, and TC, bound for Singapore, and found 19 packages of powder suspected to be gold weighing 5,721 grams that was estimated to be worth Rp14.5 billion, with potential state revenue losses of Rp1.45 billion.
The Customs officers also detained two Chinese nationals identified as ZS and ZH bound for Guangzhou, and found jewelry with a total weight of 1,352 grams and worth around Rp3.6 billion, with potential state revenue losses of Rp360 million.
The investigations will be conducted in coordination with the Police Criminal Investigation Department and the Attorney General’s Office.
Djaka said his agency continues to improve the quality of its supervision by strengthening intelligence analysis, information utilization, risk-based inspections, and coordination with relevant parties.
He advised the public who are carrying gold out of Indonesia to fulfill the Customs documents and permits in accordance with applicable regulations.
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Translator: Bayu Prasetyo
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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