Delhi Customs Preventive Seizes 37 lakhs Indonesian Origin
Cigarettes in Delhi Industrial Area
·
Smuggled
Cigarettes are 1/6th the price of Local Brands
·
The smuggled cigarettes are
approximately 5 times cheaper than the duty paid cigarettes.
Indian Customs has seized a total of 7,10,000
nos. sticks of foreign origin cigarettes with brand ‘Djarum
Black’ valuing at around Rs 1 crore on 17 June 2022.
Apart from these foreign origin packets of Indian brand
cigarettes containing a total of 30,21,500 nos. sticks
were also found. These brands were ‘Gold Flame, Gold Clock, Flame, Fun Gold,
Impression, Pelicans, and Gold Fighter’.
No documents could be shown by the owner of the goods
about the procurement of such goods. The owner of the goods, who got the
premises hired, has been apprehended. Further enquiry is on.
The Chief Commissioner of Delhi Customs (Preventive),
Surjit Bhujabal, said that “there is zero tolerance
in respect of smuggling of cigarettes into the country. Further strict measures
are being followed in respect of provisions under Cigarettes and other Tobacco
Products (prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce,
production, supply and distribution) Act, 2003.
The officers of Delhi Customs Preventive searched the Godown premises at an Industrial Area in Delhi.
Smuggling of Cigarettes involves the illicit
transportation of it between Continents, Countries and Provinces via air or sea
transport, usually with the aim of circumventing taxes and other restrictions
on Imports and Exports. This enables smugglers to re-sell this item at a
reduced price and/or recuperate the cost that would typically be paid to the
state in the form of customs duty.
Presently, more than 100 International smuggled cigarette
brands are flooding the Indian market from all over the globe. The smuggled
cigarettes are approximately 5 times cheaper than the duty paid cigarettes.
E.g. legally duty paid cigarettes would cost Rs. 330
per ten cigarettes and smuggled cigarettes would cost Rs.60 or 80/- per ten
cigarettes.
|
Year |
Cigarettes |
||
|
|
No. of cases |
Qty of Cigarettes (No. in Lakhs) |
Value in (INR
Lakhs) |
|
2021-22 |
16 |
84.63 |
1526 |
|
2022-23 (up to
10.06.2022) |
3 |
84.64 |
1595 |
Almost every day Enforcement authorities in India are
making seizures of such unlawful cigarettes in the country. Details of foreign
brands cigarettes smuggled into India are given as-
|
S.No. |
Smuggled brands available in
India |
Name & Address of
manufacturer |
Country |
|
1. |
Win,
etc. |
Hongyunhonghe Tobacco |
China |
|
181
Hongjin Road, Kunming 650202 China |
|
||
|
2. |
Gudang Garam |
P.T.
Surya Madistrindo |
Indonesia |
|
HO-JI.
Jend. Ahmad Yani 75-79
Jakarta Pusat, 10510 Indonesia |
|
||
|
3. |
Black |
PT
Djarum |
Indonesia |
|
28
JI, Ahmad Yani Kudus, 59317 Indonesia |
|
||
|
4. |
Pine,
Esse, etc. |
KT
& G71, Beotkkot-gil, Daedeokgu,
Daejeon Republic of korea |
South
Korea |
|
5. |
Mond, etc. |
Gulbahar Tobacco International Fze. |
UAE |
|
Gulbahar group |
|
||
|
P.O.
Box. 61401-Mod. 447/448, R/A No. 13-Jebel Ali Free Zone, dubai-United
Arab Emirates |
|
Apart from above Delhi Customs Preventive Commissionerate has handed over seizers of manufacturing fake/counterfeit Indian origin cigarettes
to CGST authorities. The details are given below-
|
Date
of seizure |
Qty of Cigarettes (No. in Lakhs) |
|
27.12.2021 |
110 |
|
07.03.2022 |
3.07 |