Revenue Intelligence Directorate (DRI) has dealt a severe blow to cross‑border cigarette smuggling in the Northeast. Based on intelligence, a raid today in Mizoram seized foreign cigarettes worth Rs 8.64 crore, amounting to 4.32 million sticks. The consignment smuggled from Myanmar was intercepted while being taken to Aizawl.
After receiving a tip that a truck was carrying a large quantity of foreign cigarettes to Aizawl, DRI’s Aizawl unit kept watch on the Champhai‑Aizawl road. The vehicle was stopped at Tuireal village. A thorough inspection uncovered 432 cartons containing 4,320,000 "Patron" brand cigarettes.
The investigation found that the cigarette packs lacked the mandatory pictorial warnings and health cautions required under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Regulation) Act, 2003. The cigarettes and the truck were seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and the driver was arrested.
Preliminary findings indicate that the cigarettes were smuggled from Myanmar into Mizoram via the Joakhawthar area on the Mizoram‑Myanmar border, highlighting the use of cross‑border routes for illegal movement of foreign tobacco products.
This significant seizure underscores DRI’s continued efforts to dismantle cross‑border smuggling networks, curb illegal movement of foreign goods, and strengthen enforcement on sensitive international border routes.