The Mumbai Unit of the Revenue Intelligence Directorate (DRI) at Nhawa Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai thwarted a major attempt to smuggle foreign cigarettes. In this action taken on the basis of accurate intelligence, the authorities seized 1,014 boxes of the “Top Gun” brand from a container, with a total of 1,01,40,000 cigarettes.

The price of this foreign cigarette market recovered by DRI has been estimated at around Rs 13.18 crore. Foreign cigarettes were declared as “coated calcium carbonate” with the intention of showing this smuggling legal imports to mislead the authorities. DRI has arrested a person responsible for this case, which the court has sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

What did the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) tell?
In this way importing foreign cigarettes was a clear violation of Customs Act 1962 and cigarettes and other tobacco products (packaging and labeling) Rules, 2008 (according to the notification of the Ministry of Health). The team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized the entire container under the sections of the Customs Act.

They have dangerous effects on youth- Dri
DRI officials said that such illegal smuggling causes large -scale loss of revenue to the government, as well as spoils the right competition in the domestic tobacco industry and becomes a threat to public health.

Officials said that these foreign cigarettes usually disregard health standards such as the Pictorial Warning and content information fixed in the COTPA Act, especially the youth and economically weaker sections are at risk of irregular and potentially more harmful products.

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