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Spurt in Illegal Cigarette Seizures in India

Spurt in Illegal Cigarette Seizures in India

The reported seizures are only the tip of the gigantic iceberg, of a much larger operation, as for every seizure multiple consignments escape surveillance. This is evidenced by the widespread availability of smuggled cigarettes across the country.

Sl.Date of Report PlaceDate of SeizureNumber of Cigarette Boxes/Cases/ Packets/Sticks Seized
Enforcement AgencySource
May 13, 2025GuwahatiMay 111.59 Lakhs SticksAssam PoliceIndia North East
May 5, 2025AgartalaMay 2150 CartonsBSF Quick Reaction TeamThe Sentinel
April 21, 2025AizawlApril 1946 CasesAssam RiflesNortheast Today
April 13, 2025MizoramApril 1115 CasesAssam RiflesThe Sentinel
April 11, 2025New DelhiApril 1080 Thousand SticksPoliceThe New Indian Express
April 11, 2025Vizianagaram-315 CartonsPoliceETV Bharat
March 15, 2025Khowai, TripuraMarch 14195 CartonsAssam RiflesANI
March 6, 2025Lumding, Assam-480 BoxesPoliceDY365
February 22, 2025ChampaiFebruary 221250 CartonsAssam RiflesANI
February 11, 2025Hyderabad--PoliceTelangana Today
February 3, 2025Chennai-4.6 Lakh SticksDRIThe Times of India
January 26, 2025MizoramJanuary 2525 CasesAssam Rifles[Post on X]
January 19, 2025VijayawadaJanuary 1825.38 Lakh SticksCustomsThe Times of India
January 15, 2025Champaknagar (Tripura)-100 cartonsAssam RiflesIndia Today NE
January 14, 2025Indore-35,000 SticksCustomsThe Times of India
December 17, 2024MizoramDecember 1677 casesAssam RiflesIndia Today, NE
December 16, 2024DelhiDecember 156.5 Lakh SticksDelhi PoliceThe New Indian Express
December 12, 2024MizoramDecember 1089 CasesAssam RiflesNorthEast Today
December 8, 2024Champhai (Mizoram)December 55 Cases & 45 CartonsAssam RiflesANI
November 11, 2024TripuraNovember 1110.4 Lakh SticksAssam RfilesIndia Today NE
November 5, 2024GuwahatiNovember 56 CartonsCustom OfficialsANI
November 4, 2024LucknowNovember 397 Thousand SticksCustom OfficialsETV Bharat
October 25, 2024VijayawadaOctober 2411.04 Lakh SticksCustom OfficialsThe New Indian Express
October 5, 2024Hyderabad--PoliceThe Siasat Daily
September 19, 2024Amritsar-1.5 Lakh SticksCustom OfficialsThe Tribune
September 14, 2024VijaywadaSeptember 1364.99 Lakh SticksCustom OfficialsThe New Indian Express
September 1, 2024Chennai-92.5 Lakh SticksDRIThe Times of India
August 16, 2024ThiruvanathapuramAugust 16-Custom Officials[Post on X]
August 13, 2024AmritsurAugust 1324,800 SticksCustom OfficialsThe Tribune
August 1, 2024AssamJuly 3122,000 BoxesAssam PoliceIndia Today NE
July 28, 2024MumbaiJuly 2763 Lakh SticksSpecial Intelligence Mid.day
July 23, 2024TrivandrumJuly 2342,000 SticksAir Customs[Post on X]
July 21, 2024Bengaluru-260 PacksCustom OfficialsNewsTrail
July 17, 2024GurugramJuly 10-PoliceDeshbandhu
July 3, 2024GuwahatiJuly 21.07 Lakh SticksCustom OfficialsThe Times of India
June 6, 2024GuwahatiJune 67 CartonsCustom OfficialsPost on X - Customs (Preventive), NER Shillong
May 27, 2024Mumbai-53.64 Lakh SticksDRI Hindustan Times
May 3, 2024MizoramMay 222,000 PacketsAssam RiflesThe New Indian Express
April 30, 2024GuwahatiApril 28-Customs OfficialsThe Sentinel
April 11, 2024HyderabadApril 11267 CartonsPoliceThe Siasat Daily
April 4, 2024Lucknow AirportApril 42.12 Lakh SticksCustoms OfficialsPost on X -by Lucknow Customs (Prev) Commissionerate
March 28, 2024MizoramMarch 26100 CasesAssam RiflesPost on X - by The Assam Rifles
March 21, 2024Lucknow AirportMarch 20 & 211499 Packs & 1046 BoxesCustom OfficialsHindustan
March 20, 2024IGI AirportMarch 2047,680 SticksCustom OfficialsPost on X - by Delhi Customs (Airport & General)
March 20, 2024 Calicut AirportMarch 17 & 2090,000 SticksCustom OfficialsPost on X - by Commissionerate of Customs(Prev), Cochin
February 19, 2024MizoramFebruary 1914 CasesAssam RiflesANI
January 21, 2024New DelhiJanuary 2012.22 Lakh SticksCustom OfficialsThe Indian Express
January 15, 2024Anantapur, Andhra PradeshJanuary 1440.68 Lakh SticksCustom OfficialsThe New Indian Express
January 15, 2024Mumbai-67.20 Lakh SticksDRIHindustan Times
January 14, 2024Mizoram-39 CasesAssam RiflesIndia Today NE
January 13, 2024Mizoram-95 CasesAssam RiflesIndia Today NE
January 10, 2024Aizawl-20 CasesAssam RiflesThe Statesman
January 1, 2024MumbaiDecember 2915.66 Lakh SticksDRIThe New Indian Express
December 29, 2023Navi MumbaiDecember 2833.92 Lakh SticksDRIFree Press Journal
December 28, 2023GuwahatiDecember 271.16 Lakh SticksRailway PoliceGPlus
December 25, 2023Mizoram-109 CasesAssam RiflesIndia Today NE
December 10, 2023MumbaiDecember 486.30 Lakh SticksDRIThe Times of India
December 8, 2023VijayawadaDecember 572 Lakh SticksPoliceThe Times of India
December 4, 2023Visakhapatnam-18 Lakh SticksPoliceThe Times of India
December 4, 2023GuwahatiDecember 25.3 Lakh SticksRailway Protection ForceThe Sentinel
November 25, 2023AhmedabadNovember 2480.10 Lakh SticksDRIThe Indian Express
November 21, 2023Champhai, MizoramNovember 206 CasesAssam RiflesANI
November 9, 2023Guwahati-800 PacketsRailway PoliceThe Assam Tribune
October 16, 2023Mumbai-63.6 Lakh SticksDRIThe Times of India
September 28, 2023MizoramSeptember 28-Assam Rifles, CustomsAlwaysFirst
September 3, 2023Mundra Port, GujaratSeptember 332.5 Lakh SticksDRIANI
August 29, 2023VijayawadaAugust 2775 BoxesPoliceThe New Indian Express
August 18, 2013GuwahatiAugust 164.26 Lakh SticksCustomsThe Sentinels
August 3, 2023MizoramAugust 2-Assam RiflesThe Sentinel
August 1, 2023GuwahatiJuly 31-CustomsAssam Tribune
August 1, 2023MizoramJuly 3139 CasesAssam RiflesThe Sentinel
July 25, 2023FaridabadJuly 240.51 Lakh PacketsPoliceDainik Bhaskar
July 16, 2023GuwahatiJuly 1562 CasesAssam RiflesNDTV
July 12, 2023NagalandJuly 111000 PacketsAssam RiflesNagaland Post
July 8, 2023Hyderabad--PoliceDeccan Chronicle
July 7, 2023MizoramJuly 6300 Cases & 36 CartonsAssam RiflesANI
June 26, 2023MizoramJune 26-Assam RiflesIndia Today NE
June 9, 2023MizoramJune 824 CasesAssam RiflesThe Sentinel
June 1, 2023MizoramJune 154.3 Lakh SticksDRI[Tweet - CBIC]
May 29, 2023Indore--PoliceFree Press Journal
May 21, 2023PuneMay 19-CustomsThe Indian Express
May 15, 2023Mumbai-102 Lakh SticksDRIThe Daily Guardian
May 9, 2023New DelhiMay 91.4 Lakh SticksCustomsTweet - Customs (Preventive) Delhi
May 6, 2023Champhai, AssamMay 4-Assam RiflesThe Sentinel
May 6, 2023HyderabadMay 34.50 Lakh SticksPoliceTelangana Today
April 30, 2023DelhiApril 28-PoliceDainik Bhaskar
April 21, 2023MizoramApril 20200 CasesAssam RiflesNorthEast Now
April 18, 2023Champhai Distt., Mizoram-51 CasesAssam RiflesNorthEast Now
April 17, 2023VijayawadaApril 1731 Lakh SticksCustomsTweet - Customs_Vijayawada
April 10, 2023Chandel Distt., ManipurApril 921 CartonsAssam RiflesNorthEast Now
April 3, 2023Cachar Distt., Assam--PolicePratidin Time
March 15, 2023MizoramMarch 1460 CasesAssam RiflesAssam Rifles
March 12, 2023MizoramMarch 1070 CasesAssam RiflesNortheast Now
March 6, 2023Amritsar, PunjabMarch 52.4 Lakh SticksCustomsABP News
February 16, 2023Champhai, MizoramFebruary 1465 CasesAssam RiflesThe Daily Guardian
February 12, 2023VisakhapatnamFebruary 103.89 Lakh SticksCustomsThe Times of India
February 2, 2023GuwahatiFebruary 177 CasesAssam RiflesGPlus
January 26, 2023Silchar--DRIThe Sentinel
January 17, 2023Champhai, MizoramJanuary 16110 CasesCustoms & Assam RiflesANI
January 14, 2023Raipur, Chhattisgarh-30 Lakh SticksDRIThe Daily Guardian
January 2, 2023ViajayawadaJanuary 230 Lakh SticksCustoms[Tweet - CGST Customs]
January 1, 2023AizawlDecember 31-Assam RiflesNortheast Now
December 18, 2022Surat, Gujarat-1.96 Lakh SticksDRIAhmedabad Mirror
December 14, 2022Rajasthan-2.64 Lakh SticksDGGINews18
December 8, 2022HowrahDecember 770 BoxesCustomsEtv West Bengal
December 3, 2022Ahmedabad-3.6 Lakh SticksDRIThe Times of India
December 1, 2022PrayagrajNovember 30-PoliceHindustan Times

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