August 19, 2026 | 12:52 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) said it will trace the supply chain behind illegal gold export smuggling from upstream mining activities to downstream distribution.
Sahid Junaidi, secretary of the ESDM Ministry’s Directorate General of Law Enforcement, said the investigation would include identifying the main financiers behind illegal mining operations and examining the legality of mining activities.
The statement followed a series of enforcement actions by the Ministry of Finance’s Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) against attempts to smuggle illegal gold through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten.
“We at the ESDM Ministry understand that mining is capital-intensive. Therefore, as part of ESDM law enforcement, we will investigate the financiers involved,” Sahid said at a press conference at the DJBC headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, as quoted by Antara.
According to Sahid, the investigation will then be linked to Article 161 of Law No. 3 of 2020, which amended Law No. 4 of 2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining. The provision sets criminal sanctions for individuals or legal entities that store, transport, process, or sell mining products that do not originate from holders of valid permits.
Beyond tracing the distribution chain and financiers, the government will examine the legality of the mining operations. This includes verifying ownership and the validity of mining business permits, as well as other licenses related to the operations.
“We will then link this to the mining activities and the processing permits. So, from the ESDM side, we will examine the legality of the mining business permits,” Sahid said.
Customs Seizes More Than 22 Kilograms of Gold
Previously, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise again foiled an attempt to export gold bars, or cast bars, that lacked the required customs documents and permits.
The authorities seized 22.317 kilograms of gold at the International Departure Terminal of Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten.
The latest enforcement action was part of Customs and Excise's broader monitoring of gold export attempts through Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
On August 10 and 11, 2026, Soekarno-Hatta Customs and Excise officers, together with airport aviation security personnel, also foiled two separate attempts to export gold illegally. The combined seizure weighed 23.793 kilograms and had an estimated market value of Rp63 billion.
From January through August 2026, Customs and Excise had foiled 32 attempted illegal gold export smuggling cases, involving gold worth an estimated Rp846.94 billion.
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