The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Mumbai, has seized 1.2 crore sticks of foreign origin cigarettes with an estimated market value of Rs 24 crore and arrested five persons including an importer for allegedly trying to smuggle them, the DRI said on Sunday. These cigarettes are banned for import into India due to their non-compliance with Indian standards, the DRI said in a release.
Based on specific intelligence, the contraband was seized from a container which was supposed to be trans-shipped to Arshiya Free Trade Warehousing Zone (FTWZ) for further clearance, it said. The DRI officials maintained a discrete vigil on the container’s movement.
