JAKARTA: An Indian passenger was detained by customs officers at Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, for trying to smuggle four gold bars weighing 1.5kg to Thailand.
Kualanamu Customs and Excise Office head Agus Amiwijaya said the gold bars were hidden by the suspect, identified only as NU, inside a voltage stabiliser. The stabiliser was then put into a suitcase he was carrying.
He said that NU was arrested when he was about to fly on AirAsia flight QZ 154 to Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok.
NU arrived in Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport from Bangkok on Sept 12. After staying for two days, he was to return to Bangkok on Sept 14. However, he did not return from Soekarno-Hatta, opting for a domestic flight to Kualanamu International Airport on Sept 14 at 5.30am.
“From Kualanamu, NU was scheduled to continue his journey with an international flight to Bangkok at 11.50am,” Agus told journalists on Sept 15.
“When his suitcase was inspected, Customs officers found four gold bars kept inside a voltage stabiliser.”
He added that Kualanamu Customs Office had coordinated with Deli Serdang Police to further process the case. The office’s head of compliance and information services, Raden Mahisa Agung, said customs officers had confiscated the gold bars, worth some Rp 3.95 billion (US$222,163).
“Based on initial investigation, the four gold bars were carried by suspect NU from Jakarta and would be smuggled to Thailand,” Mahisa said.
He said that NU was charged under Article 102A of the Customs Law, which carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rp 5 billion.
Head of North Sumatra Customs and Excise Directorate General regional office, Rudy Rahmaddi, said the enforcement was part of customs’ function as a community protector, especially in supervising goods exiting and entering Indonesian territory.
“Analysis-based supervision and consistent inspection are Kualanamu Customs Office’s efforts to prevent smuggling and enforce customs regulations, while at the same time safeguarding the state’s income potential,” he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
