Guwahati, Nov 24: In one of the biggest recent crackdowns on illegal tobacco trade in the Northeast, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 73.7 lakh sticks of smuggled foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 14.74 crore during coordinated operations in Mizoram on November 21–22.
Codenamed “Operation Filter Out”, the enforcement action was carried out in collaboration with the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF), targeting smuggling routes along the Indo–Myanmar border.
The first operation in Kanhmun, Mamit district, led to the interception of a suspicious vehicle loaded with 16.5 lakh sticks of Oris, Win, and Benson & Hedges cigarettes. Follow-up raids on two godowns uncovered an additional 19.7 lakh sticks. Two individuals were arrested.
In the second case, searches at two godowns and a residence in Lunglei’s Chandmari area yielded 37.5 lakh sticks of premium foreign brands including Esse Light, Patron, Mond and Valiant, leading to one more arrest.
Officials said the seized packets lacked mandatory health warnings under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003. Preliminary investigation confirmed the consignments were smuggled from Myanmar through the Zokhawthar border sector.
DRI has seized all the contraband along with the vehicle under the Customs Act, 1962, and further investigation is underway to uncover the wider network behind the racket.
