Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy
The Maldives Customs Service has seized more than 130,000 cigarettes in an attempted smuggling operation at Gan International Airport.
Customs seized about 6,500 boxes of cigarettes containing 130,155 cigarettes. Customs has not yet announced what action will be taken with regarding the seized items.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s government has increased the duty on cigarettes. With the change in duty last November, the price of a pack of cigarettes has risen to MVR 240.
Assam Rifles, in coordination with the Land Customs Station, Zokhawthar, seized a large consignment of foreign-origin cigarettes in Mizoram on Saturday. The operation, based on specific intelligence, was carried out near PVCP, Melbuk, Zokhawthar, in Champhai district.
The seized consignment included 46 cases of assorted foreign-origin cigarette brands, such as Red and Blue, Gold Land, Karaweik, Premium Gold, and V Cigarette. The total value of the seized goods is estimated at Rs 59.8 lakh.
The confiscated items were handed over to the Land Customs Station, Zokhawthar, for further investigation and legal proceedings. Assam Rifles reaffirmed its commitment to combating cross-border smuggling and safeguarding the nation’s economic interests.
In a separate operation on April 12, Assam Rifles, in collaboration with Bualpui police, seized nearly 18 kilograms of Methamphetamine tablets and arrested a Myanmar national in Lawngtlai district. The estimated value of the seized drugs is approximately Rs 54 crore in the international market. The arrested suspect, along with the seized narcotics, has been handed over to the Bualpui Police Outpost for further legal action.
Surat: The State Monitoring Cell (SMC) on Saturday seized 7,896 liquor bottles worth Rs 70.5 lakh near Narmada bridge toll plaza in Bharuch district. Police arrested the driver of the truck carrying the consignment.
The liquor bottles, mostly vodka and beer, were hidden under bags of ‘goat wool’. The truck was going to Gandhidham and the liquor bottles had been loaded in it in Goa. The driver was carrying a fake e-way bill to deceive police and other agencies.
SMC police received a tip-off that a truck with number plate RJ-27-GB-2855 was carrying liquor. SMC raiding officer PSI SV Galchar and his team reached near Narmada bridge toll plaza and when the truck approached it, they stopped it.
Ahmedabad: Central agencies seized Rs 54.29 crore worth of gold in 52 weeks, averaging over Rs 1 crore worth of gold every week in the financial year 2024-25.
According to sources, the Ahmedabad Zonal Unit (AZU) of the DRI directly seized 35.39kg of gold worth Rs 26.97 crore in the financial year that concluded on March 31. The agency also supported other agencies such as customs and state police in the seizure of 38.83kg of gold worth Rs 27.32 crore in the same period.
Sources said that while the value of the seizure was slightly lower compared to 2023-24, the movement of gold smuggling and seizure could be traced to the price of the precious metal in domestic and international markets. It is notable that the price of gold is at an all-time high, inching closer to Rs 1 lakh per 10 grams due to multiple factors affecting international markets.
Zokhawthar: Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the Land Customs Station, Zokhawthar, seized a large consignment of foreign-origin cigarettes dumped near the general area PVCP, Melbuk, Zokhawthar, Champhai district, Mizoram, on Saturday, Assam Rifles said in a press release.
“Acting on specific intelligence input, a joint operation was launched from Zokhawthar, resulting in the recovery of 46 cases of assorted foreign-origin cigarettes, including Red and Blue, Gold Land, Karaweik, Premium Gold, and V Cigarette,” Assam Rifles said.
The seized items were handed over to Land Customs Station, Zokhawthar, for further investigation and legal proceedings. The total assessed value of the recovered cigarettes is Rs 59.8 lakh. Assam Rifles remains committed to curbing cross-border smuggling and safeguarding the economic interests of the nation, the press release added.
The RCMP says that more than seven million contraband cigarettes were seized after officers from the Whitbourne detachment responded to a report of an overturned tractor trailer on Long Harbour Road on Sunday, April 13, 2025.
A 53-year-old Ontario man faces charges under the Excise Act 2001, and is under investigation for charges under the Revenue and Administration Act and Cannabis Act, in connection with the incident.
The RCMP says that, following extensive efforts to retrieve the contraband tobacco that was located after RCMP executed a search warrant on the truck and trailer, officers were able to determine the quantity of contraband tobacco to contain more than 7,423,000 cigarettes.
Additionally, a case of pre-rolled illicit cannabis was located and seized.
The director of a Southall company has been handed a suspended prison sentence after being caught with 18 tonnes of fake luxury goods worth millions of pounds.
Isleworth Crown Court heard that, during a raid on Bling Master Company Limited’s warehouse in April 2023, trading standards officers from Ealing Council seized approximately 53,000 fake designer goods. They were worth an estimated loss to the fashion industry of £5million.
The items ranged from jewellery, handbags, and perfumes to clothing and footwear and included knock-off imitations of brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Michael Kors. They were being stored and sold from a unit at Charles House in Bridge Road.
https://www.aroundealing.com/news/fake-designer-goods-seized/
Indore, Apr 15 (PTI) Police on Tuesday seized counterfeit currency notes with a face value of more than Rs 4 lakh and arrested five persons from different cities in Madhya Pradesh in this connection, an official said in Indore.
All five were members of a criminal gang involved in printing and circulating fake currency notes in the state, police said.
Talking to reporters, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Kumar Tripathi said three of the accused were apprehended from a hotel in Indore’s Anurag Nagar Extension area after cops received a tip-off about their presence.
The trio, Abdul Shoaib alias Chhotu (25), Rahees Khan (32) and Prafull Kumar Kori (19), hailed from Chhindwara district, he said.
https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2025/04/15/bes21-mp-fake-currency-gang.html
MUMBAI: A 71-year-old disabled man from Sewri was arrested on Friday by the Directorate of the Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials from the airport for allegedly smuggling 6,730 grams of gold from Bangkok in the soles of his shoe.
The accused man was identified as Bharat Chamanlal Sheth, a resident of TJ Road in Sewri. DRI officials said his right leg was amputated so he used a wheelchair. They found smuggled gold worth around ₹6.30 crore hidden in the sole of his amputated leg’s shoe.
According to the DRI officials, after receiving a tip-off on Friday, they intercepted Sheth at the exit gate, after he crossed the green channel, of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). “His right leg was amputated. When he was searched, we found 14 yellow coloured metal bars (wrapped in coloured paper) concealed in the sole of his shoe in the amputated leg,” said a DRI official.
Assam Rifles and Customs seize foreign cigarettes valued at Rs 19.5 lakh during a patrol in Champhai’s Jail Veng area on April 11, 2025.
CHAMPHAI: Acting on specific intelligence of trafficking of foreign origin Cigarettes in general area Jail Veng, Champhai, Assam Rifles and Customs Preventive Force, Champhai launched an Area Domination Patrol towards Jail Veng on 11 Apr 2025.
During the operation, 15 cases of foreign origin cigarettes (Valiant & gold flake) were detected dumped in the jungle. The recovered items have been handed over to Customs Preventive Force, Champhai, stated a press release.