inp.polri.go.id - East Nusa Tenggara. The Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Regional Police has once again demonstrated its commitment to eradicating illegal practices in the border area. 

This time, the authority successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of imported used clothing (ballpressed/thrifted) suspected to have originated from Timor Leste.

The operation took place on Friday (4/10/2026) at around 2:00 PM in Kabuna Village, Kakuluk Mesak District, Belu Regency. 

During the operation, officers secured 10 imported used clothing ballpresses and a Toyota Fortuner used to transport the illegal goods. The evidence is believed to belong to a resident identified as VBL, who acted as the owner of the goods.

The Director of Special Criminal Investigation of the NTT Regional Police, Senior Superintendent Hans Rachmatulloh Irawan, explained that this disclosure was part of the development of a previous case his team had been handling since early March 2026.

"This case is a series of developments based on a police report we had previously followed up on. From several different locations, we successfully confiscated a total of 157 pieces of evidence containing used imported clothing," he said.

He detailed that in the initial operation in Kupang City, the team confiscated 135 ball presses, followed by a second operation in West Kupang with 12 ball presses, and most recently, another 10 ball presses in Belu Regency.

According to him, the practice of smuggling imported used clothing not only violates the law but also has the potential to harm domestic industry and endanger public health due to the lack of guaranteed hygiene.

"We will continue to take firm action against all forms of illegal activity that harm the public and the state, including the smuggling of imported used goods," he emphasized.

(ad/nf/pr/rs)