TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance said illegal cigarettes are readily available in the market due to the easy access of tobacco rolling machines for mass-cigarette production.
For example, the MK-8 type tobacco rolling machine can be obtained with Rp5 billion for the production of 2,500-2,800 cigarette sticks per minute.
"So far, these tobacco rolling machines are still sold freely," said Director of Communication and Compliance Guidance for Customs Service Users, Nirwala Dwi Heryanto, at his office on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
As long as someone has the means, they can buy the rolling machine, especially since there are currently no regulations limiting its circulation in the market.
Moreover, Nirwala mentioned that illegal cigarette manufacturers could purchase used rolling machines from licensed factories. Additionally, they can also import rolling machines from abroad without difficulties. "Some import from abroad, while others use second-hand machines," said Nirwala.
According to Nirwala, most of the illegal cigarettes in the market were produced using these machines. The types of untaxed cigarettes most frequently found by the Customs and Excise are machine-made kretek cigarettes (SKM) or machine-made white cigarettes (SPM).
The Chair of the Indonesian Health Policy Room (Rukki), Mouhamad Bigwanto, believes that illegal cigarettes will continue to exist as long as producers are allowed to manufacture and distribute such goods. He assessed that the ease of obtaining rolling machines is one of the factors affecting the proliferation of their numbers.
According to Bigwanto, the illegal cigarette production remains accessible in Indonesia. "Because the rolling machines can still be imported and purchased without a license. I think that is concerning," said Bigwanto on Monday, July 14, 2025.
Currently, according to Bigwanto, people with capital can easily access mass cigarette-rolling machines. This condition then leads to the emergence of small industries that are not monitored by the authorities.
He suggests that the government should include tobacco rolling machines in the list of prohibited and restricted imports. By doing so, the rampant production of illegal cigarettes can be halted downstream.
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