THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF ILLEGAL CIGARETTE TRADE IN BORDER AREAS: A CASE STUDY OF MAKIR VILLAGE, LAMAKNEN DISTRICT, BELU REGENCY

Abstract

Illegal cigarette trading is one of the informal economic activities frequently found in border areas, including Makir Village, Lamaknen District, Belu Regency. This practice emerges as a response to economic pressure, limited employment opportunities, and weak government supervision in the Indonesia Timor Leste border region. This study aims to analyze the social impacts of illegal cigarette trading on community life in Makir Village and to identify the factors that sustain the persistence of this practice. This study uses a qualitative approach with data collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. Émile Durkheim’s structural functionalism is applied as the analytical framework to examine changes in social functions, norms, and values resulting from involvement in illegal trading. Informants include village officials, traditional leaders, community leaders, security personnel, individuals involved in illegal trading, and community members not involved in such activities. The findings indicate that illegal cigarette trading provides quick income and short-term economic benefits for households. However, it also creates economic dependence and perpetuates vulnerability to poverty. Social values shift as success becomes associated with ownership of modern goods obtained through illegal activities rather than through productive agricultural work. This situation contributes to social inequality, horizontal conflict, and the weakening of social solidarity within the village. Youth involvement in illegal trading further intensifies moral decline and increases social risks in the community. The persistence of this practice is reinforced by economic hardship, limited employment opportunities, weak supervision and law enforcement, permissive social norms, and the absence of sustainable economic empowerment programs. Overall, illegal cigarette trading is not merely a legal issue but a socio-structural problem requiring integrated economic, social, and legal interventions.