DRI seizes foreign cigarettes worth Rs 6.5 cr at Mundra port

Ahmedabad: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have seized foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 6.5 crore at Mundra port here, officials said on Sunday. 

According to the officials, based on specific intelligence developed, officers of DRI Ahmedabad intercepted an import consignment at Mundra port. "The consignment was declared as 'Auto Air Freshener' and was shipped from Jebel Ali port," they said. 

During the detailed examination of the said consignment, officers noticed that the 1st-row packages in the container were of declared goods i.e.  "Auto Air Freshener". However, behind the said 1st row, all the packages contained foreign-origin cigarettes.

"The majority of these foreign-origin cigarettes were bearing the markings "Made in Turkey". Accordingly, a total of 32.5 lakhs of these sticks were seized under Panchanama proceedings. The value of the seized cigarettes is estimated to be around Rs. 6.5 crores," DRI officials said. 

Moreover, it was also observed that some of the cigarette packets had a marking of 'Made in India'. Officers are in contact with field experts to identify the possibility of an attempt to import counterfeit cigarettes or likewise. 
Investigation into the matter is underway. Further information is awaited.