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The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted seven facilities involved in printing of fake Indian currency notes (FICN), the finance ministry said on Friday. On February 20, DRI conducted simultaneous searches at 11 different places across Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Bihar and busted seven additional modules involved in printing of FICN. In the present case, in Vikhroli West, Mumbai, DRI identified and located the importer. After thorough search in a densely populated locality, a sophisticated facility for printing and finishing the Fake Indian Currency Notes was unearthed and fake currency of denomination of Rs 50 and Rs 100, and several machinery/tools were seized. Seized items included laptops, printers, pen drives, security paper, A-4 sized papers and butter paper with watermark of Mahatma Gandhi etc. On the basis of the complaint filed by DRI officers, the person was arrested and all the apparatus and tools were seized by the jurisdictional poli
Seizures of the narcotic drug Methamphetamine have increased in the northeastern states of Assam and Mizoram in the current year, with the DRI confiscating 123 kg of the contraband during April-September. Methamphetamine, also known as 'ice' or 'crystal meth', has become a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies in India, particularly through the porous northeastern borders. According to a report by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the smuggling trend indicates that Methamphetamine is being illegally brought into India through sea routes in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. For smuggling, the drug is brought to coastal hamlets like Rameswaram, Tuticorin and Nagapattinam, concealed within specially designed compartments in buses, trains, or cars. From these locations, it is smuggled across the maritime border to Sri Lanka through mid-sea transfers involving Indian fishing boats. In the first half of FY 2024-25, DRI seized 123 kg of methamphetamine in 11 cas
Revenue Intelligence officers have seized contrabands worth Rs 3,500 crore in 2023-24 fiscal, with narcotic drugs and gold seizures constituting a major chunk, a top official said on Thursday. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Principal DG Mohan Kumar Singh said infiltration of supply chains has emerged as a significant challenge in curbing smuggling. Also, growing use of air passenger, courier and postal cargo for smuggling of drugs and other contrabands remains a concern. "In FY 2023-24, DRI detected 623 smuggling cases, almost an average of 2 cases per day, with seizure of contrabands of Rs 3,500 crore. The seizure of narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances constitute a major part of it, followed by seizure of gold," Singh said at a Ficci seminar on global challenges of illicit trade and way forward. According to sources, DRI has seized 1,658 kg of gold in 2023-24 fiscal, about 35 per cent more compared to a year ago. Singh said during the fiscal, DRI has also kept a watc
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday recovered a substantial amount of gold in compound form from the lavatory of an Indigo flight that had arrived from Bahrain at Cochin International Airport. Acting on a tip off, DRI officials conducted an inspection of the flight, leading to the seizure of 3,285 grams of gold, agency sources said here. The market value of the seized gold is estimated to be around Rs two crore. Although an investigation has been initiated, no arrests have been made at this point, they said.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has conducted a search operation at the headquarters of Havells India, a leading manufacturer of electrical goods and appliances. DRI acts as the lead agency to check smuggling and cases of commercial fraud. "The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has conducted a search at the Corporate office of the Company viz. Havells India Limited in Noida, which concluded this morning on 4th November 2023 at around 2:20 am," Havells India said in a regulatory filing. The search was conducted over "alleged mis-classification in import of Heating Element," the company said. According to the company- which operates in the consumer electrical and appliances market with brands such as Havells, Lloyd, Crabtree, Standard and REO - its impact on financial, operation or other activities on the company cannot be quantified at this point in time. However, it said, "in the preliminary assessment, we understand that it will not have any material impact on ...
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized diamond capsule fragments worth Rs 2.6 crore from two passengers at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), official sources said on Monday. The DRI sleuths, with the help of CISF personnel at the airport, confiscated the diamonds from two passengers, Anas and Amar from Bhatkal, as they were about to fly to Dubai on Saturday, DRI sources said. Acting on a tip-off, the DRI sleuths found two packets of diamond capsules hidden in the shoes of one of the passengers during an intensive physical check at the immigration counter. The CISF personnel handed over the two passengers to DRI officials for further investigation, the sources added.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday said it has busted two clandestine drug manufacturing labs here and seized around 25 kg of mephedrone worth around Rs 50 crore. The agency, in a release, said it neutralised the entire network by arresting seven persons besides the mastermind and financier. Acting on the basis of specific intelligence inputs, DRI began a well-coordinated operation on December 21, and busted the two clandestine labs, it said. A total of 24.885 kg of mephedrone in finished form, valued at Rs 49.77 crore in the grey market, along with in-process materials, sale proceeds of Rs 18.90 lakh, key raw materials, machinery and vehicles used for trafficking, was seized during raids on the two labs, it said. Seven persons carrying out the manufacturing in these two locations were arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The DRI further said the mastermind and main financier of this activity was caught hold in Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), as he was attemp
High-value drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin have witnessed record seizures by revenue intelligence officers in the last fiscal, according to a report by the Directorate Revenue Intelligence. Signalling a disturbing trend, the figures revealed that the seizure of highly addictive party drug cocaine has shot up 36-fold to 310 kg in 2021-22 from 8.7 kg in 2020-21 and just 1.1 kg in 2019-20. Another high-value party drug methamphetamine saw a 14-fold increase in seizures by DRI officers at 884.69 kg in 2021-22, up from 64.39 kg in 2020-21. Besides, 3,410.71 kg of heroin, a highly addictive opioid drug, was seized in 2021-22, up 17-fold from the previous fiscal. Of this, 2,988 kg was seized at Mundra port in 2021-22. In 2020-21 and 2019-20, 202 kg and 143 kg of heroin were seized by the DRI officers across the country. According to the DRI report, two key trends have been observed in drug smuggling in recent times. These are the trafficking of heroin via trade routes, ...
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will on Monday address Revenue Intelligence officers at the DRI foundation day event in the national capital. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is celebrating its 65th Founding Day on December 5-6 this year, a finance ministry statement said on Sunday. A meeting of the 'Regional Customs Enforcement Meeting (RCEM)' for effectively engaging with partner Customs organisations and international agencies like World Customs Organisation (WCO), Interpol for enforcement related issues would also be organised during the event. This year, 22 Customs administrations covering the Asia-Pacific region along with WCO, Interpol, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Regional Intelligence Liaison Office Asia Pacific (RILO AP) have been invited to the event. Sitharaman will inaugurate the 2-day event along with Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, the statement said. The 'Smuggling in India Report 2021-22' would be released by ...
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 86.5 kg of high-quality US-origin hydroponic weed valued at Rs 39.5 crore and arrested two persons in this connection from Mumbai, an official said on Tuesday. The DRI's Mumbai zonal unit intercepted two US-origin consignments at Courier Terminal in the Air Cargo Complex. An examination resulted in the seizure of 86.5 kg of hydroponic weed (ganja) from the consignments, he said. The consignments were mis-declared as 'Outdoor Concrete Firepit' and were destined for Bhiwandi town in adjoining Thane district, the official said. The seizure was a result of multi- agency coordination with stakeholders and further investigation and follow-up searches were carried out at the addresses of a warehouse and office premises linked to the importer, he said. These searches resulted in the crackdown on drug cartel and led to the arrest of two persons from Mumbai, the official said. The seized high-quality hydroponic weed is valued at Rs