Raipur, Feb 28 (PTI) The Customs on Wednesday destroyed foreign-origin cigarettes and other seized contraband worth about Rs 3.89 crore here, an official said.
As many as 40.86 lakh sticks of foreign-origin cigarettes, 2,000 foreign-origin cigars and 557 boxes of rolling paper were destroyed in the action taken by the Customs Commissionerate, Indore, he said.
These goods had been smuggled into India in contravention of the Indian Customs Act through misdeclaration and also did not conform to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, and the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, the official added.
The seized cigarettes, cigars and rolling papers belonged to various brands including Paris, Gudang Garam and Dunhill.
Their packaging did not have mandatory pictorial health warning. Smuggled cigarettes generally cost cheaper as they are brought into the country without payment of Customs duties and GST, the official said.
