KOCHI: The Excise department has seized 26,250 packets of Hans, a banned tobacco product, estimated to be worth Rs 26.5 lakh, from two godowns near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district.
The seizure was made during a joint raid by the Excise Commissioner’s Squad, Excise Intelligence team and Perumbavoor Excise Range team as part of the investigation into the seizure of Hans worth around Rs 1.3 crore in Kottayam under Operation Thunder.
According to the Excise department, the two large godowns located near a lorry stand had been kept locked. The premises were reportedly being used to store Hans under the guise of cattle-feed stock. The tobacco products were allegedly brought to the godowns in sacks during night hours using lorries and other vehicles.
The raid was conducted after breaking open the lock in the presence of the godown owner, the department said. The Excise team is investigating the involvement of suspects from Kottayam and Kollam districts in the storage and distribution network.