DRI seizes foreign cigarettes worth ₹24 crore in Mumbai; 5 persons arrested

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Mumbai, has seized 1.2 crore sticks of foreign origin cigarettes with an estimated market value of ₹24 crore and arrested five persons including an importer for allegedly trying to smuggle them, the DRI said on May 14.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Mumbai, has seized 1.2 crore sticks of foreign origin cigarettes with an estimated market value of ₹24 crore and arrested five persons including an importer for allegedly trying to smuggle them, the DRI said on May 14.

These cigarettes are banned for import into India due to their non-compliance with Indian standards, the DRI said in a release.

Based on specific intelligence, the contraband was seized from a container which was supposed to be trans-shipped to Arshiya Free Trade Warehousing Zone (FTWZ) for further clearance, it said.

The DRI officials maintained a discrete vigil on the container's move.

It was found that after the container left the Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai, instead of reaching its destination, the same was diverted to a private godown while it was en route to Arshiya FTWZ. The DRI officials then intercepted the container at the godown, the release said.

The entire 40-feet container was found to be stuffed with foreign-origin cigarettes which are banned for import into India due to their non compliance with Indian standards, it said.

The syndicate had planned to smuggle the cigarettes by removing them out of the container and replacing the same with goods declared in import documents in order to hoodwink customs authorities, the release said.