Enforcement agencies find new trends being adopted in smuggling

Concealing branded watches in the rectum — a modus operandi earlier used only by drug smugglers — and hiding counterfeit currency notes inside cigarettes have been found to be among the latest methods adopted by smugglers to avoid detection by authorities.

This was revealed at the latest meeting of the Regional Economic Intelligence Committee (REIC), a 20-member multi-agency group to facilitate coordination among the enforcement agencies dealing with economic offences.

The minutes of the July 23 meeting, accessed by The Indian Express, maps several interesting trends adopted by the smugglers.

The reported cases in REIC also shows that the trend of suppressing the actual production of gutkha and its clandestine marketing to evade excise duty is on a sharp increase. The total evasion of duty in cases registered by the Central excise and Central excise intelligence is over Rs 150 crore and one company alone, Sun Gutkha, accounts for Rs 99 crore of evasion. These cases are being referred to the Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate to further investigate black money and money laundering aspects.

Large quantities of heroine have also been intercepted at the Delhi international airport. In one case, 22 parcels containing 4.7 kg of heroine, 1.25 kg of hashish and 3 kg of ketamine was seized — an unusually high quantity of drugs being attempted to be smuggled through a high security airport. Two such big consignments of 4 kg and 6 kg of heroine was also caught at the Delhi airport.

Interestingly, the Customs authorities have found a new trend of smuggling high-value branded watches concealed in human body. So far four cases has been detected, totaling a value of approximately Rs 2 crore.

Another interesting trend, detected by enforcement agencies, especially Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), has been found in fake currency smuggling. The DRI has detected several cases in which counterfeits of mostly Rs 1,000 denomination and Rs 500 denomination were found hidden in cigarettes.

... contd.

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