The Many Flavors of Illegal Cigarettes - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rahmat-not his real name-swiftly folds a sheet of cardboard in front of him. The resident of Kadur village, Kadur subdistrict, Pamekasan, East Java, applies glue to each side. In less than two minutes, the sheet has become a cigarette pack bearing the words "New Humer Brown." The pack can hold 20 machine-rolled clove cigarettes (SKM).

Rahmat and his family work as informal laborers, putting cigarettes into packs. They are paid Rp200 (around US$0.01) per pack. In a day, the family packages 450 to 700 packs, all without excise stamps. All the raw materials, including the cigarettes themselves, are delivered from a cigarette factory in Kadur village to Rahmat's home.

According to Rahmat, the money he earns packing cigarettes has helped him complete his undergraduate education. His parents, who are tobacco farmers, also earn additional income. The 27-year-old said many of his neighbors do the same work, packaging illegal cigarettes.

Andru Iedwan Permadi, Chief of the Internal Compliance and Services Section of Madura Customs in East Java, said manufacturers of unmarked cigarettes generally recruit local residents to package their products. The number of workers can reach an entire neighborhood. "They work so they can put food on the table," Andru told Tempo at his office on Friday, July 31, 2026.