Jakarta. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa conducted an unannounced inspection at a Customs and Excise storage facility in Cikarang, West Java, on Friday, underscoring the government’s commitment to cracking down on illegal imports, particularly secondhand clothing.

During the visit, Purbaya personally inspected several containers filled with confiscated garments seized by Customs and Excise officers from various regions across Indonesia. He also spoke with enforcement personnel at the site.

The minister praised Customs officers for their success in exposing and seizing illegally imported goods.

“These seized items are not only secondhand clothes but also ‘last season’ garments -- new but outdated collections from abroad,” Purbaya said in a video posted to his social media account.

He stressed that illegal clothing imports must not be tolerated, warning that the practice harms domestic textile producers and small businesses. Cheap imported products that evade taxes, he said, undermine the competitiveness of local industries.

“There must be no more illegal clothing imports, especially secondhand apparel that hurts MSMEs and the national textile industry,” he said.

Purbaya added that field monitoring must be intensified to ensure the government’s crackdown on illegal goods does not lose momentum. He stressed that firm enforcement is essential to protect fair competition, safeguard local manufacturers, and prevent losses to state revenue.

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