VIJAYAWADA: Customs officials in Vijayawada, along with Anti-Evasion personnel from Guntur Central GST, busted a smuggling racket involving foreign-origin cigarettes on January 20.
Acting on a tip-off, the sleuths raided a private property in Ramavarappadu and seized 17.6 lakh Paris-brand cigarette sticks, valued at Rs 1.76 crore.
The cigarettes, concealed in 88 HDPE sacks, lacked the mandatory health warnings required under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.
Two people were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, and were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the Special Judge for Economic Offences in Visakhapatnam.
Commissioner Sadhu Narasimha Reddy highlighted the department’s commitment to combating the smuggling of foreign goods that evade customs duties and jeopardise public health. He revealed that Customs Vijayawada has so far seized 82.6 lakh smuggled cigarette sticks worth Rs 8.26 crore.
Officials emphasised the importance of vigilance against such activities.
