Maharashtra: Raids conducted in Navi Mumbai, 21 lakh imported cigarettes worth Rs 4 crore seized
On February 28, imported cigarettes worth Rs 4 crore seized from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Navi Mumbai. According to reports, officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) acting on specific intelligence, conducted a raid in the Navi region in the ongoing all-out war against drug syndicates.
DRI sleuths conducted a raid on Sunday afternoon after receiving a tip-off regarding the smuggling of cigarettes at JNPT. During the probe, officials found 21,60,000 cigarettes in boxes.
According to the officials, several drug consignments have been seized by the DRI over the recent past. In another incident, based on prior information, the agency seized 18 lakh cigarettes being smuggled into the country, added an official.
According to the Navbharat Times report, the cigarette boxes were deliberately kept unprinted with statutory warnings in order to evade taxes. As per government protocols, 100% tax is levied on imported cigarettes in India.
According to the official, the cigarette boxes did not have any kind of statutory warning printed on the boxes, while further investigations are underway to find out the links. Tobacco products come with a message printed on it warning consumers of the health risks, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
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