Assam: Huge Cache Of Foreign Cigarettes Seized In Guwahati
The Customs Department recovered cigarettes of Chinese and Korean origin, market value of which is over Rs. 98 lakhs, during two separate operations in Guwahati on Tuesday.
GUWAHATI: In a major success for the Customs Department, huge quantities of foreign manufactured cigarettes were seized in two separate raids conducted here on Tuesday.
The Department's action was based on specific intelligence inputs regarding smuggling of foreign cigarettes through courier delivery service providers in the city. It had received information on Tuesday that a huge consignment of foreign made cigarettes were stored at Blue Dart courier service premises in Zoo Road.
Talking to the media, a senior official said, "A customs team immediately proceeded to the said location and identified the specific consignment containing the cigarette packages as per the AWB number received."
The official added, "A total of 5 packages had been booked under the said AWB and on checking the contents of each package, the customs officers detected cigarettes of foreign origin viz., WIN and ESSE LIGHT brands of Chinese and Korean origin."
As revealed by the official, the Customs Department recovered about 1,48,000 numbers of cigarettes in multiple packets which were of Korean and Chinese origin. As per information, the market value of the seized cigarettes shall be about Rs. 29,60,000.
Soon after the first operation was over, Custom Department officials received fresh inputs that a vehicle containing another huge consignment of smuggled cigarettes of foreign origin was coming towards the Blue Dart facility at the Zoo Road.
"As soon as the said vehicle which was coming from Ganeshguri side took a U-turn at the above junction, the customs team intercepted the vehicle and on preliminary search of the packages loaded on the said vehicle detected cigarettes of foreign origin namely, ESSE LIGHT SUPER SLIM, Made in Korea," stated a Customs official.
In the operation, besides a person to managed to escape, one miscreant involved was arrested.
On subsequent search and investigation of as many as eight packages including a steel trunk, a total of 3,45,400 cigarettes of the Korean brand were seized. Custom Department has estimated the market value of the seized cigarettes to be over 69 lakhs.
If both the consecutive operations are taken into account, the Customs Department managed to seize a total of 4,93,400 foreign made cigarettes. The combined value of the seizure was over 98 lakhs.
"In total, Guwahati Customs has seized 4,93,400 sticks of foreign cigarettes valued at Rs. 98,68,000 on Tuesday through two consecutive cases," said a Customs official.
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