Hyderabad

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Hyderabad Zonal Unit, seized Chinese-origin firecrackers valued at approximately Rs 12 crore after uncovering their alleged illegal import through Chennai Port by misdeclaring the consignments as stationery items, medical gloves, plastic clips, hair bands, storage wardrobes, shoe racks and other goods.

Acting on the intelligence, officers of the DRI examined suspected containers in separate coordinated operations. Searches and examinations resulted in the recovery of large quantities of Chinese-origin pyrotechnic fireworks concealed behind cartons containing the declared cover cargo. 

Import of firecrackers and fireworks is restricted under the Foreign Trade Policy and requires valid authorisations from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) under the Explosives Rules, 2008. As the fireworks had been imported without the requisite licences and through misdeclaration and concealment, they were seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

DRI has been actively combating the smuggling of various restricted and prohibited goods across the country through intelligence-driven and coordinated enforcement operations. These seizures reaffirm DRI’s continued commitment to disrupting organised smuggling networks and protecting public safety and national economic interests. 

In another case, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in a joint operation with the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) in Madhya Pradesh, arrested three alleged drug traffickers on Thursday and seized 7.116 kg of Amphetamine (narcotics) worth around Rs 5.69 crore in Indore, according to an official release.

Following this, a team of DRI and CBN officers mounted surveillance at the Ujjain-Dewas Toll Plaza in Dewas’s Bangar in the early hours of September 30. As soon as the officers spotted the suspected vehicle approaching the toll plaza, they signalled it to stop; but the driver broke the barricade and sped away. 

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The DRI team seized 7.116 kg of amphetamine along with the SUV and arrested all three persons under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.