Chennai, Jun 24 (PTI) In a major haul, over 92 lakh cigarettes of foreign origin, valued at Rs 18.2 crore, illegally smuggled from Dubai under the guise of bathroom and sanitary fittings, were seized in Chennai, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, the DRI Chennai Zonal Unit detained a container bound for a warehouse in the Free Trade and Warehousing Zone in Sriperumbudur on June 23.
Upon examination, officials found that the consignment contained misdeclared goods, including 92.1 lakh sticks of foreign-origin cigarettes of various brands.
"The value of the cigarettes is Rs 18.2 crore. Further, the cigarettes do not comply with the packaging and labelling requirements under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, including the absence of statutory health warnings," a release said.
The contraband was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and further investigation is underway.
In the past year, the DRI has seized 4.4 crore sticks of both foreign-origin and counterfeit cigarettes smuggled through ports in Chennai.
The total value of the confiscated cigarettes is estimated to be Rs 79.67 crore.