The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized nearly 60,000 kilograms of smuggled foreign-origin areca nuts in two major operations carried out in the Northeast region over the past week, officials said on Saturday.
The operations were conducted by the DRI’s Guwahati Zonal Unit across parts of Assam and Mizoram following specific intelligence inputs regarding illegal cross-border smuggling activities.
According to officials, preliminary investigations indicate that the dried areca nuts were smuggled into India from Myanmar through the porous Myanmar-Mizoram border. The contraband was allegedly being transported through various routes in the Northeast for distribution in domestic markets.
In one of the operations, the DRI received operational assistance from the 38 Battalion of the Assam Rifles, highlighting coordinated efforts between enforcement and security agencies to curb cross-border smuggling networks.
Authorities said a total of five persons have been arrested in connection with the seizures, and further investigation is underway to identify the larger syndicate involved in the illegal trade.
Officials noted that the large-scale influx of smuggled areca nuts from neighbouring countries has been adversely affecting domestic growers and traders. The illegal trade not only causes significant revenue losses to the exchequer but also impacts the livelihood of farmers engaged in areca nut cultivation across India.
The DRI has intensified surveillance and enforcement measures in the Northeast region in recent months amid growing concerns over organized smuggling activities along international borders.
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