In a major bust, a huge consignment of foreign cigarettes worth around Rs 6.5 crore was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Mundra port in Gujarat, officials informed on Sunday.
DRI Ahmedabad officers intercepted an import consignment at Mundra port based on specific intelligence inputs, according to officials.
They said, "The consignment was declared as 'Auto Air Freshener' and was shipped from Jebel Ali port."
Officers noticed that the first row packages in the container were declared goods, that is, "Auto Air Freshener", during a detailed examination of the consignment.
However, all packages behind the first row contained foreign-origin cigarettes, mentioned officials.
"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," said DRI officials.
Furthermore, it was found that some of the cigarette packets had a marking of 'Made in India' as well.
At present, officials are in contact with the field experts to identify the possibility of an attempt to import counterfeit cigarettes or likewise.
An investigation into the matter has been initiated and the officials are following the course of law. Further details in connection with the matter are awaited.
