Customs Destroys 40.86 Lakh Illegally Imported Cigarettes

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) In a drive against illegal import of foreign origin cigarettes and other contrabands, the Customs Commissionerate, Indore, destroyed 40.86 lakh cigarette sticks at Raipur in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, a finance ministry release said.

Along with cigarettes, 2,000 foreign origin cigars and 557 boxes of rolling paper were also destroyed.

The estimated value of cigarettes and other contrabands destroyed is about Rs 3.89 crore, the release said, adding that these goods were smuggled into India in contravention of the provisions of the Indian Customs Act, 1962.

The seized foreign origin cigarettes, cigars and rolling papers of various brands, including Paris, Gudang Garam, and Dunhill, were smuggled into India by resorting to misdeclaration in contravention of provisions of Customs Act, the release said.

It further said the seized foreign origin cigarettes packets did not have mandatory pictorial health warning in compliance of notifications issued time to time by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

As per the regulations, the cigarette packets are required to have mandatory health warning to cover 85 per cent of the principal display area of the package.

The smuggled cigarettes cost cheaper for the consumer as they are smuggled into the country without payment of customs duties and goods and services tax.

Illegally smuggled cigarettes and other tobacco products 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.