Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seizes cigarettes worth Rs 1.63 crore

DRI received information that a gang of smugglers based in Kerala were trying to smuggle foreign cigarettes into India and was keeping a close watch on Thoothukudi Port. On December 20, a ship from Jebel Ali Port, from Dubai, reached Thoothukudi VOC Port and in one of the containers the consignment was marked as A4 sheet papers. 

On suspicion, they and opened the container and found 300 cartons of paper boxes with foreign cigarettes stuffed inside. There were five varieties of premium foreign cigarettes such as Davidoff White, Davidoff White Slim, Davidoff Gold, Davidoff Gold Slim and Dunhill Switch. There were 12 lakh sticks of cigarettes and their worth was Rs1.63 crore. 

As the cigarettes were brought illegally into the country by trying to evade Customs duty they were seized. Apart from that, there were no statutory warnings on the cigarette packets and they had violated the Packing and Labeling Rules, 2008, too.

Trail of smoke at Thoothukudi Port 

Nov 1: Rs 70 lakh worth foreign cigarettes seized

Feb 11: Rs 3.83 crore worth foreign cigarettes seized 

Dec 12, 2015: Rs.1.32 crore worth foreign cigarettes seized