Jakarta. Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan, known as Zulhas, along with the Imported Goods Monitoring Task Force, has uncovered a warehouse in North Jakarta suspected of housing illegal imported goods.

The items discovered include finished clothing, accessories, bags, mobile phones and tablets, electronic goods such as massage devices, cooking appliances, and children's toys. The total value of the goods found exceeds Rp 40 billion ($2.5 million).

Zulhas explained that these goods were imported by foreign parties and sold online. The warehouse's role was to store and prepare the items for delivery to buyers.

"Preliminary investigations reveal that the importer is a foreigner. They rent the warehouse, pay for the packaging, and then sell the goods online. We've found that foreign nationals are involved in selling goods in our country," Zulhas said on Friday.

He added that similar warehouses have been identified and will soon be revealed to the public.

"From initial discussions, this isn't an isolated case. One province could have dozens of such places selling goods online. We are delving deeper into this issue," Zulhas said.

The House of Representatives' Commission VI has urged the Task Force to target major players and the mafia behind these operations, rather than small businesses or retailers.

Commission VI Member Luluk Nur Hamidah said that the Task Force must enforce strict legal measures against illegal importers without bias. She noted that illegal import networks are similar to mafia operations, involving numerous actors either individually or in networks.

"Ensure that the actions taken target the major players, not small traders or retailers, as they are merely victims of illegal import practices," she added.

Luluk hopes that the Illegal Import Task Force will impose stringent sanctions and deterrent penalties on the major culprits in this illicit business in accordance with existing regulations.

Under Law No. 17 of 2006 on Customs, illegal importers can face imprisonment from 1 to 10 years and fines ranging from Rp 50 million to Rp 5 billion.

The Task Force targets seven categories of imported goods: textiles and textile products (TPT), finished clothing and accessories, ceramics, electronics, footwear, cosmetics, and other finished textile goods.

This Task Force, led by the Trade Ministry, includes members from 11 ministries/agencies, such as the Industry Ministry, the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office, the Law and Human Rights Ministry, the National Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).