Vijaywada:  In a major development, the Customs officials at Vijayawada have captured 80,40,000 approx Paris brand cigarettes packed in 804 boxes that is worth Rs 8 crore which were being transported in two different lorries. Since the Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Vijaywada was established in 2014, this is the agency's highest-ever documented seizure of illegally imported cigarettes.

An official stated on Tuesday that Customs agents were maintaining watch after getting specific information concerning the smuggling of foreign brand cigarettes into Vijayawada city in vehicles. They stopped a truck with a Tamil Nadu registration early on Tuesday morning at Kesarpalli along the national Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam route (NH-16).

Another team headed to the Vijayawada-Hyderabad road after obtaining information about identical modus operandi and stopped a second lorry with a Bihar registration. Upon inspection, it was discovered that both cars were hauling 134 high-density polyethylene sacks, each of which was stitched from the top with contraband.

As per reports, when questioned by the authorities, both drivers admitted that they had departed from Patna and were heading to Vijayawada in accordance with a booking agent's instructions.

The drivers, however, claimed that they were unaware of the contents of the vans as they were being loaded.
The officials said that they captured 80,40,000 Paris brand cigarettes packed in 804 cartons under the Customs Act. The total estimated value of the cigarettes seized is about Rs 8.00 crore, approx.

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