Continuing its action against smugglers, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence here today seized Rs 2.16 crore worth of cigarettes that were concealed in a container along with a large quantity of plain paper and being shipped to India, officials said.
Acting on a complaint, the officials intercepted a container that was shipped from Dubai to Chennai Port and was addressed to Prince Traders in Mayiladuthurai district.
"Verification was conducted at the registered office of the importer and it was found that the address given was fictitious," a senior DRI official said in an official release.
Sensing suspicious movement of the goods, as the importer did not come forward to file the documents for Customs, the goods were taken up for detailed examination.
Investigations revealed that the declared goods were "A4 Paper" and kept in the front portion of the container. About 200 carton boxes of "clove tipped" cigarettes named Gudang Garam, made in Indonesia, were concealed behind.
"The cigarettes were stacked in such a manner that it would not be visible during inspection. The total value of the 28 lakh cigarettes concealed in 200 cartons were estimated to Rs 2.16 crore," it said.
The company declared the value of the A4 paper cartons at Rs 19.09 lakh. Both the goods were seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 and further investigation was on, it said.
