The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized nearly 3 lakh electronic cigarettes and vapes worth around Rs 120 crore during a major multi-state crackdown on an illegal smuggling network operating across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, and West Bengal. According to the Ministry of Finance, the operation targeted several ports, airports, and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) over the past few days in an effort to curb the illegal import of banned nicotine products into India.
The anti-smuggling agency, functioning under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), intercepted multiple consignments after tracking suspicious supply chains allegedly being routed through the customs system using false declarations.
“Acting on specific intelligence, DRI identified, tracked and intercepted multiple suspicious import consignments that were mis-declared to evade customs scrutiny,” the Ministry of Finance said in an official statement.
Following detailed inspections, officials seized around 3,00,000 electronic cigarettes and vapes of different brands, flavours, and specifications, collectively valued at over Rs 120 crore.
Investigators also traced the smuggling network’s supply chain and found that all the confiscated products had originated from China.
“These prohibited e-cigarettes were sourced from China in every instance and imported by concealing them inside consignments declared as ‘Furniture’ and ‘Metal Chair Parts’,” the ministry stated.
India currently has a strict ban on the import, sale, production, transport, storage, and advertisement of electronic smoking devices and nicotine delivery systems due to public health concerns.
The Ministry of Finance reiterated that electronic cigarettes and all Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) are prohibited under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019, which was enacted to protect public health and prevent harm caused by such products.
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