Cigarettes, spit tobacco worth Rs 1 crore seized

The Commissioner of Customs & Central Tax CGST Commissionerate, Sadhu Narasimha Reddy, has said that a major illegal storage and trading has been foiled by officers of Anti-Evasion, Vijayawada Guntur Central GST Commissionerate, by seizing 25,38,000 sticks of cigarettes and 46,000 pouches of spit tobacco (Khaini), worth Rs 1 crore.
He explained that in a significant operation, the vigilant officers of Anti-Evasion, Vijayawada Guntur CGST Commissionerate, along with the assistance of Officers of Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Vijayawada, carried out a search operation on unregistered premises in Ambapuram panchayat, Ajith Singh Nagar, Vijayawada, where Indian origin cigarettes and khaini were stored without proper documents, thereby evading tax payment.
Narasimha Reddy said that upon meticulous inspection, it was discovered that a substantial quantity of Indian origin cigarettes was stored at the place. It was found that there are 102 HDPE sacks containing 25.38 lakh sticks of cigarettes of GTPL Vimal, Gold Vimal, Gold Flake and Paris, valued Rs. 96.82 lakh, and 23 HDPE sacks containing 46,000 pouches of khaini, valued Rs. 3.68 lakh. He mentioned that the tenant of the premises, who is owner of the goods, did not turn up and could not produce the invoices evidencing legitimate purchase.
Sadhu Narasimha Reddy further mentioned that the seized cigarette packages lacked essential markings, manufacturing date and expiry date, raising suspicion about the legality of the goods, while the MRP of Paris cigarettes is less than the taxes payable. He stated that due to these findings, the officers of Anti- Evasion seized the entire consignments of cigarettes and khaini, on reasonable belief that the goods were transported unlawfully and stored for illegal trade.
The Customs Commissioner’s investigation into the matter is underway. He added that the Guntur CGST Commissionerate is dedicated to enforcing GST tax laws, ensuring compliance and combating evasion and seizure of illegal cigarettes worth Rs. 5.67 crore in financial year 2023-24 and Rs. 4.17 crore in this year so far.