Labuan Bajo Customs Destroys 832,240 Illegal Cigarettes

Labuan Bajo — Customs officials destroyed 832,240 illegal cigarette sticks and 1.9 litres of alcoholic beverages on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. The destruction took place at the Labuan Bajo Customs Office and involved goods seized during enforcement operations covering the period from June 2025 to July 2026.

The destroyed goods included machine-made kretek cigarettes and machine-made white cigarettes, as well as alcoholic beverages containing ethyl alcohol in categories B and C. The goods were valued at more than IDR 1.2 billion (about US$72,000), while the estimated state loss was more than IDR 815 million (about US$49,000).

Officials first carried out a symbolic destruction by burning the cigarettes and breaking the alcohol containers. The remaining goods were transported to the Warloka final disposal site in West Manggarai for complete destruction by burning and burial.

Why it matters

The operation matters because Labuan Bajo is identified as part of the route through which illegal cigarettes are distributed and marketed in West Manggarai. The enforcement action therefore concerns the local supply chain as well as customs revenue and tobacco-tax collection.

The goods destroyed came from 45 enforcement evidence records. The operation was conducted by the Labuan Bajo Customs and Excise Office, the Indonesian agency responsible for customs and excise enforcement in its area of supervision.

The seized goods were collected through enforcement activity in nine districts under the office's supervision. The reported period for those actions ran from June 2025 through July 2026.

The estimated state loss comprised tobacco excise and alcoholic-beverage excise, cigarette tax and value-added tax.

Sources

• detikBali — Indonesian news outlet
• Tribunnews Kupang — regional news outlet
• RRI — public radio news outlet