DRI seizes 60,000 kg smuggled areca nuts in North-East
New Delhi, May 22
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized around 60,000 kg of smuggled foreign-origin areca nuts in two major operations conducted in the North-East region, Ministry of Finance said on Friday.
The seizures were made by the Guwahati Zonal Unit of DRI during operations carried out yesterday and earlier this week in Mizoram and Assam following specific intelligence inputs.
According to the ministry, initial investigations revealed that the foreign-origin dried areca nuts were smuggled into India from Myanmar through the Myanmar-Mizoram border.
In one of the operations, the DRI was assisted by the 38 Battalion of the Assam Rifles. So far, five persons have been arrested in connection with the smuggling activities.
The ministry said the illegal influx of areca nuts from neighbouring countries is causing economic damage to domestic areca nut growers and undermining economic security in border regions.
The operations are part of continued efforts by enforcement agencies to curb cross-border smuggling networks operating in the North-East region.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance on Thursday said the DRI had also seized around 3,00,000 electronic cigarettes and vapes worth Rs 120 crore in a nationwide crackdown on an e-cigarette smuggling racket operating across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and West Bengal.
According to the ministry, the anti-smuggling agency carried out enforcement operations at multiple ports, airports and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) over the last few days to intercept illegal imports of prohibited nicotine products.
The Ministry of Finance said, "Acting on specific intelligence, DRI identified, tracked and intercepted multiple suspicious import consignments that were mis-declared to evade customs scrutiny."
It added that, "Detailed examination led to the seizure of nearly 3,00,000 electronic cigarettes/vapes of various brands, flavours and specifications valued at more than Rs 120 crore."
According to the ministry, investigations revealed that the seized electronic cigarettes and vapes were sourced from China and imported in concealment under items such as "Furniture" and "Metal Chair Parts".
The ministry noted that electronic cigarettes and all Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) are prohibited in India under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, enacted in the interest of public health.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally some action! Our areca nut farmers in Karnataka and Kerala have been struggling for years because of this illegal influx from Myanmar. The price crash hurts small farmers badly. Hope the government continues this crackdown and also supports our local growers with better MSP or subsidies. 🙏
Impressive operation. But I wish the article gave more details about the modus operandi. How are they bringing it through the border? Are there local facilitators? Also, 5 arrests seems low for 60,000 kg. Need to go after the kingpins, not just the small fish carrying the load.
Living in Mizoram, I can tell you this is a daily reality. The border villages are very porous and locals often depend on cross-border trade for survival. While smuggling is wrong, the government should also think about providing alternative livelihoods for these border communities. Just seizures won't solve the root problem.
Great to see action on both fronts - areca nuts AND e-cigarettes! The 3 lakh vapes worth Rs 120 crore is staggering. It's scary how they were hiding these as "furniture" and "metal chair parts". The ED and DRI need to track the entire supply chain - who were the importers and where were they planning to sell these banned products?
👏 Applause to the enforcement agencies. However, smuggling is a two-way street. While we're catching incoming goods, what about the smuggling of gold, drugs, and even weapons across these borders? The North-East is strategically sensitive and we need a comprehensive border management plan
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