Customs Dispose of ₹5.5 Cr in Smuggled Cigarettes

Vijayawada:Commissioner of Customs (Preventive) Vijayawada, Sadhu Narasimha Reddy, announced the disposal of 82,71,836 foreign-origin cigarette sticks worth Rs 5.5 crore. As part of an anti-smuggling drive, officials incinerated 73.71 lakh sticks in Guntur and 9 lakh in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The action is part of the Swachhta Hi Seva campaign. Confiscated in Vijayawada, Nellore, Kakinada, and Tirupati, these cigarettes violated the Indian Customs Act, 1962, and were non-compliant with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Rules, 2008, and Legal Metrology regulations. Brands included Paris and Djarum Black, all destroyed at Jindal Urban Waste Management facilities.