SHILLONG: Continuing its drive against smuggled foreign cigarettes, the officers of Customs Headquarters, Preventive Unit, Shillong have seized 40 cartons of “Ruili River” brand filter cigarettes worth Rs 15.97 lakh, manufactured by Myanmar Cigarette Factory from the Booking Counter of Kamakhya Railway Station, Guwahati on December 14.
The consignment was mis-declared as “damaged tobacco product”. The consignor is from Dimapur and it was destined for Howrah. Initial investigation indicates that these cigarettes have been smuggled from the Manipur sector of Indo- Myanmar border.
The smugglers of foreign cigarettes use courier agencies, railways and passenger buses to transport such contraband to different parts of the country. “No one has been arrested in the instant case although investigation is going on”, I.R. Kharkongor Deputy Commissioner Customs (Headquarters Preventive) said.
Earlier on December 1, the customs sleuths had detected a consignment of 1397 cartons of GE Classic Golden Elephant Brand and WIN Brand cigarettes of Myanmar origin probably smuggled from Dimapur. The cigarettes valued at Rs 9.38 lakh was detected at Guwahati from a courier agency which was meant to be smuggled to Meghalaya.
Though Bangladesh used to be the source of illegal smuggling of cigarettes in the past, Myanmar has now become the hub of such activities.
As per an earlier report, Assam and Meghalaya were incurring revenue losses to the tune of Rs 700 crore every year due to illegal trade of cigarettes, which are manufactured locally as well as smuggled from neighbouring countries.
Besides, it was reported that almost 23 crore illegal tax-evaded cigarette sticks are sold in these two states every month.
Since there is high VAT rate on cigarettes in Assam and Meghalaya compared to other states, this has resulted in a thriving illegal market of tobacco, sources said.
The danger is that the smuggled cigarettes very often do not carry the graphical health warnings mandated by Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), thereby endangering the tobacco control policy of the government.
