Guwahati, April 29: In a significant crackdown on smuggling activities, the Customs Department intercepted a consignment of foreign-origin cigarettes valued at approximately Rs. 2.86 crore at the India Post Hub near Guwahati Airport. The operation was conducted on Sunday following a tip-off received by the Department, which led them to the India Post Hub located at Mirza in the Kamrup district of Assam. Upon inspection, officers discovered 113 packages filled with various brands of smuggled foreign-origin cigarettes.

The raid did not result in any immediate arrests, and details about the individuals involved in the smuggling operation have not been disclosed as the investigation is ongoing. The Customs Department is currently working to trace the entire network behind this elaborate smuggling effort.

“This is one of the largest seizures of smuggled cigarettes in recent times,” said a senior customs official involved in the operation. “We are seeing a disturbing trend of smugglers exploiting the postal system to transport illegal goods across the country.”

These foreign cigarettes are typically smuggled from Myanmar, entering India through various routes before being distributed across Guwahati and other parts of the country. The choice of the postal service as a transport medium highlights a sophisticated method of evading detection and underscores the challenges faced by customs and postal authorities in curbing such activities. This operation underscores a growing concern over the use of postal services for illegal activities, particularly the evasion of taxes through the smuggling of foreign goods into India.

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