By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, OCT 06, 2021: THE Delhi Customs(Preventive) Commissionerate gathered specific intelligence that smuggled cigarettes of foreign origin wee being stored and transported from a premise in Naraina area in South West Delhi. The officers discreetly kept surveillance on the identified premises. It was gathered that the goods stored therein were likely to be removed on 01.10.2021. Therefore, the officers reached to the area with proper search authorization and entered the premise and during search, a total of 38,00,000 sticks of foreign origin cigarettes of different brands viz. Esse Light, Black, Esse Gold, Rulli River, valued at Rs. 7,60.00,000/- were recovered from the premise as per the search authorization.

During examination, it was found that, neither pictorial warning was printed on the cigarette packages nor MRP was affixed on the said packages and the same was in violation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Product (Packaging and Labeling) Amendment Rules, 2014. As the said cigarettes of foreign origin were not custom duty paid contravening provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 and also does not have pictorial warning as discussed above so the same were seized on 01.10.2021, under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962 under the reasonable belief that the same are liable for confiscation under Section111 of the Customs Act, 1962.

During the course of investigations, the person responsible for handling such goods was found at the premises who admitted his culpability in the illegal smuggling, storage and transportation of foreign origin cigarettes. Based upon voluntary statements, documents resumed during examination and the huge recovery of foreign origin cigarettes, the person has been placed under arrest under the provisions of Customs Act, 1962 and has been sent to the Judicial Custody for 14 days. Further investigation is under progress.