DRI Seizes 43 Lakh Smuggled Cigarettes in Mizoram

Aizawl: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officers stopped a truck near Tuirial village. They acted on a tip about illegal goods moving toward Aizawl. The team searched the vehicle on the Champhai-Aizawl road and found 432 cases of Patron brand cigarettes. That is 43.2 lakh individual sticks worth Rs 8.64 crore.

The haul lacked the health warnings required by the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act of 2003. Officers seized the truck and the load under Section 110 of the Customs Act of 1962. They also arrested the driver on the scene.

The DRI traced the origin of the goods to Myanmar. Investigators believe the shipment crossed the international border through the Zokhawthar sector. The agency is targeting these routes to break up smuggling rings. A DRI spokesperson stated, "The operation was part of its efforts to dismantle smuggling networks and strengthen enforcement along vulnerable international border routes."