South Tangerang, June 12 -- A joint Customs and Police team is expanding an investigation into a smuggling case involving 8.26 million illegal cigarettes seized at the Merak-Bakauheni ferry crossing, preventing state losses of Rp7.9 billion (about US$442,000).

"We will thoroughly investigate to identify the owners and financiers behind the millions of illegal cigarettes intercepted at the Merak-Bakauheni crossing on June 11," Customs Director General Djaka Budhi Utama said on Friday.

Customs officers seized 8,262,000 untaxed cigarettes, comprising 2,912,000 sticks of the OK BOLD brand and 5,350,000 imported Double Happiness cigarettes.

Djaka said the cigarettes were being smuggled through the Merak-Bakauheni ferry route linking Java an...