New Delhi, Oct 19 (PTI) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 43.2 lakh sticks of foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 8.64 crore in Mizoram, dealing a blow to cross-border smuggling, according to an official statement.
Acting on specific intelligence, officers of the Aizawl Regional Unit of the DRI — that comes under the Union Ministry of Finance — intercepted a truck at Tuirial village along the Champhai-Aizawl Road en route to the Mizoram capital, it said.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 432 cases containing 43.2 lakh sticks of ‘Patron’ brand cigarettes suspected to have been smuggled from neighbouring Myanmar, the ministry said in the statement.
Examination revealed that the cigarette packets did not carry the mandatory pictorial and health warnings prescribed under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
The cigarettes and the truck were seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, while the driver was arrested, it said.
The seizure highlights the use of cross-border routes for the illegal movement of foreign-origin tobacco products and is part of the DRI’s efforts to dismantle smuggling networks and strengthen enforcement along vulnerable border areas, it added. PTI DP RHL
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