VIJAYAWADA: The Customs Commissionerate (Preventive) here has seized smuggled Paris-brand foreign cigarettes worth Rs 8 crore from two lorries.
Commissioner for Customs, K Engineer said here on Tuesday that the Customs got a tip-off about the smuggling of cigarettes into the city and kept surveillance. In the early hours, officials intercepted a lorry with Tamil Nadu registration at Kesarapalli on the Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam national highway. Meanwhile, another team of officials proceeded to the Vijayawada-Hyderabad road and intercepted a lorry with Bihar registration.
Each of these vehicles were found loaded with 134 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sacks containing smuggled goods. The drivers revealed that the loaded vehicles started from Patna, Bihar, and they drove it to Vijayawada as per instructions from the booking agent. They claimed they were not aware the cargo was smuggled goods.
Officials reported the seizure of 80,40,000 Paris brand cigarettes packed in 804 cartons. The total value of the cigarettes was `8 crore, the officials said. Smuggling in of foreign cigarettes is unlawful but a lucrative business for blackmarketeers as they avoid customs duty.
Smuggled cigarettes don't have the statutory health warnings on them that are mandatory for all tobacco products. This was the highest-ever seizure of smuggled foreign cigarettes by the Customs here so far, officials said.
