Indonesian Customs and Surabaya government destroy 43.2 million illegal cigarettes

Indonesian Customs and the Surabaya municipal government destroyed 43.217 million illegal cigarettes seized during the first half of 2026.

Officials symbolically burned some of the cigarettes in the courtyard of Surabaya City Hall on Aug. 26. Workers destroyed the full stock in stages from Aug. 19 to 28 at the Putra Restu Ibu Abadi waste-management facility in Mojokerto, using an incinerator.

The destruction involved East Java Customs Office I, which contributed 26.2 million cigarettes, and Sidoarjo Customs, which contributed 17,035. The goods had received authorization for destruction from the Directorate General of State Assets.

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This destruction is the result of cooperation between Customs, local government and law-enforcement officials to curb the circulation of illegal cigarettes and protect state revenue.

Rudy Hery Kurniawan, head of Sidoarjo Customs, said the action formed part of the management of state-owned goods. Destroying the cigarettes removed their original form so they could not be used, exploited or misused again.

The seized cigarettes were valued at an estimated 64.2 billion rupiah, with potential losses to state revenue estimated at 36 billion rupiah. Rudy said suppressing illegal cigarette sales requires cooperation among local governments, Customs, law-enforcement agencies, businesses and the public to protect state revenue and maintain fair competition.

He urged residents to report illegal cigarettes to the nearest Customs office or the Bravo Customs contact center at 1500 225.

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Let us increase vigilance and awareness of the dangers of illegal cigarettes by reporting their presence around us to the nearest Customs office or the Bravo Customs contact center at 1500 225.