Police detail suspects in Indonesia's illegal import probe

  Indonesia’s police on Wednesday detailed the roles of two suspects in an illegal import scheme involving mobile phones and other goods from China, as authorities widen a probe into smuggling networks.

The National Police smuggling task force said the suspects, identified as DCP, also known as P, and SJ, were responsible for bringing illegal imported goods from China and distributing them domestically.

Brigadier General Ade Safri Simanjuntak, director of special economic crimes, said the pair played key roles in managing shipments and circulation of goods within Indonesia’s customs territory.

DCP acted as an importer who brought goods into Indonesia in non-new condition and without required Indonesian National Standards (SNI) certification, in violation of multiple trade and industry regulations.

Police allege DCP breached laws covering trade, industry, standardization and conformity assessment, telecommunications, consumer protection, and money laundering.

SJ, meanwhile, acted as a buyer who imported and distributed goods in non-new condition within Indonesia, according to investigators.

Authorities said SJ is suspected of violating laws on trade, telecommunications, consumer protection, and money laundering linked to the distribution of illegal imported products.

On Tuesday, the task force searched the office of PT TSL in Sidoarjo, East Java, expanding on earlier raids of warehouses storing thousands of illegal phones in Jakarta.

Ade said PT TSL is a holding company that used multiple shell firms to handle documentation for illegal phone imports into Indonesia.

Investigators will continue tracing other parties suspected of involvement in the scheme as the probe develops, he said.

The task force, acting on orders from the national police chief, is committed to identifying all those responsible for illegal imports that cause state revenue losses.

Previously, in Jakarta, officers searched six locations, including warehouses, shop-houses and offices used to store illegally imported goods tied to the case.

From those raids, police seized 56,557 iPhones worth about 225.2 billion rupiah, 1,625 Android phones valued at 5.38 billion rupiah, and 18,574 accessories.

The total value of seized items reached 235.08 billion rupiah, authorities said, underscoring the scale of the illegal import operation uncovered by investigators.

Police also found baby clothing and children’s toys that failed to meet mandatory national standards but had been sold domestically, including through e-commerce platforms.