Indonesia foils nearly 3 kg gold smuggling bid to Malaysia

Banda Aceh, Aceh Province (ANTARA) - A joint team comprising Banda Aceh Customs and Excise and several other agencies arrested a Chinese national identified as GP for allegedly attempting to smuggle 2.9 kilograms of gold through Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Aceh Besar en route to Malaysia.

Head of the Banda Aceh Customs and Excise Supervision and Service Office, Rahmat Priyandoko, said on Thursday that the suspect was arrested on July 1 after officers received intelligence indicating a possible smuggling attempt.

"GP was arrested for illegally transporting gold bars. GP was a passenger on a commercial flight bound for Malaysia," Priyandoko said.

Acting on the intelligence, the joint team monitored outbound passengers and became suspicious of GP. A subsequent inspection uncovered two gold bars weighing a total of 2,989 grams concealed inside a small bag he was carrying.

According to Priyandoko, the suspect allegedly failed to declare the gold in an attempt to evade export duties regulations.

"Based on the initial investigation, the foreign national did not provide information on the items he was carrying to avoid export duties," he said.

Based on the Ministry of Trade's reference price, the confiscated gold is estimated to be worth Rp7.2 billion (approximately US$389,000).

The case marks the second attempted gold smuggling operation uncovered at Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport. In an earlier case, authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle 527 grams of gold.

GP is currently being detained at the Aceh Regional Police headquarters while investigators trace the origin of the gold to determine whether it was sourced from legal or illegal mining activities.

Priyandoko said the successful interception reflects Customs and Excise's commitment to protecting the national economy and safeguarding state revenue.

He added that Customs and Excise, together with other law enforcement agencies, will strengthen surveillance to prevent the illegal export of high-value commodities.

"We also remind all business actors and the public to consistently comply with applicable export regulations for a fair and healthy trading climate that contributes to the national economy," he said.

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Translator: M. Haris Setiady, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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