: A total of 113 tonnes of
illegally imported areca nuts have been seized in Krishnapatnam port of Andhra Pradesh and the masterminds caught in Kerala, directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) said on Wednesday.
It was found 43 tonnes of coconut expeller cake were declared while the remaining 113 tonnes were areca nuts of Indonesian origin on which customs duty evaded works out to Rs 3.25 crore, a press release from DRI said.
Based on a tip-off that the nuts were illegally imported by concealing them with coconut expeller cake weighing 156 tonnes, the officials visited the port and verified the cargo sent there from May 10-12, the release said.
The verification led to the seizure, it said.
The nuts attract customs duty of 100 per cent, and their value is higher than coconut expeller cake, the release said, adding that the masterminds were intercepted in Kerala.
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