Customs Commissionerate Indore disposes of 40.86 sticks of smuggled foreign origin cigarettes

New Delhi, Feb 28 (UNI) In a major drive against illegal import of Foreign Origin Cigarettes and other contrabands, the Customs Commissionerate, Indore in Bhopal Zone destroyed 40.86 Lakh Sticks, valued at Rs 3.89 crore, of Foreign Origin Cigarettes at Raipur, Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. The seized foreign origin cigarettes, cigars and rolling papers of various brands including Paris, Gudang Garam, Dunhill etc. were smuggled into India by resorting to mis-declaration in contravention of the provisions of Customs Act, 1962, Ministry of Finance said in an official statement today. Along with cigarettes, 2000 numbers of Foreign Origin Cigar and 557 Boxes of Rolling Paper of Foreign Origin which were smuggled into India were also destroyed. The estimated value of cigarettes and other contrabands destroyed is about Rs. 3.89 Crores. These goods were smuggled into India in contravention of the provisions of the Indian Customs Act, 1962. The seized cigarettes, cigars also did not conform to the provisions/conditions laid down under “The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008” (as amended). The seized Cigarettes, Cigars and Rolling Papers were also not compliant to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011 framed under Legal Metrology Act 2009. The seized foreign origin cigarettes, cigars and rolling papers of various brands including Paris, Gudang Garam, Dunhill etc. were smuggled into India by resorting to mis-declaration in contravention of the provisions of Customs Act, 1962. These smuggled cigarettes costs cheaper for the consumer as these are usually smuggled into county without payment of Customs duties and GST. The smuggling of Cigarettes and other tobacco products are done to avoid the duty and the compliance with regulations related to the import/ sales of tobacco-related products, the smuggling syndicates often indulge in smuggling of such items in guise of cover cargo or by mis-declaration of goods as some other items. As, illegally smuggled Cigarettes and other tobacco products are non-compliant of statuary guidelines and warnings the said count of seized goods were disposed of by way of destruction as per prescribed guidelines with the assistance of officers of Central CGST, Raipur in presence of independent witnesses, officers of Customs ICD, Raipur and DRI officials. UNI SKB AKS