BENGALURU: The Bengaluru unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) made two major seizures recently — half-a-kg of amphetamine worth Rs 40 lakh concealed in an antique wall clock at the Kempegowda International Airport and imported cigarettes valued around Rs 6 crore hidden in a container carrying dates and coming from
Dubai at the Tuticorin port (Tamil Nadu). Both the seizures were made following an intelligence tipoff.
A reliable source said, “Amphetamine was intended for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and was concealed in powder form inside the antique clock. We stopped the consignment right at the courier collection point inside the airport on Friday (March 4).”
The booking from Bengaluru had been made under fictitious names and addresses. A case has been booked under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropics Act. In the other case which was the biggest seizure of cigarettes made by the Bengaluru unit, a total of 4 lakh imported cigarette sticks of different brands were seized from the container coming from Dubai to the Tuticorin port.
“After the tipoff, a team rushed to the port and made the recovery. The container had a few date boxes containing dates on the top layer when we opened them. The boxes in the middle had cigarette sticks,” the source said. A case has been booked under the Customs Act, he added.
Cigarettes being smuggled in are sold for Rs 15-16 here as compared to a high-quality Indian cigarette
is priced at Rs 20-25, another source said. “The foreign cigarettes being smuggled evade customs duty and cause the country’s exchequer a huge loss,” he added.