Chief of "Manis Madu 649" patrol boat, Adjunct Commissioner Jimmy, said here Thursday that his men had also arrested the vessel`s skipper and its three crew members.
The boat was captured in Rupat island waters near Riau port of Dumai on Wednesday at 9 PM local time, he said.
The policemen 88 found sacks of spices, ten sacks of hair oil, and a sack of used tires.
The skipper and crew told the police investigators that the goods brought from Malaysia were prohibited to enter Indonesia, he said.
For further investigation, the vessel with all of its crew members and contraband were escorted to Dumai port, Riau province, he said.
In 2010, marine police in Dumai had handled at least 20 cases of smuggled goods, he said.
The attempts to smuggle tons of used clothes from Malaysia remained a serious problem for Indonesia.
In April 2010, customs officers in Riau Islands Province, for instance, had also foiled an attempt by six Indonesians to smuggle in 60 tons of used clothes from Port Klang, Malaysia, through Dumai.
Spokesperson of the Customs Directorate General Evy Suhartantyo said the boat named KM Putra Baru, with six people on board, was intercepted in Sinaboy-Dumai waters by a customs patrol.
"The Indonesian-flagged vessel was skippered by Ramli who led a crew of five. They are all Indonesians," Evy said.
Besides used clothes, the boat was also carrying used tires and beds. The financial loss the state could suffered if the smugglers had succeeded in their operation was estimated at Rp500 million.
Still in April 2010, Tanjung Balai Karimun customs officers also captured a boat carrying 1,500 packs of used clothes from Malaysia in the Natuna Sea.
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Editor: Bambang
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
