Mumbai: Customs Seizes Areca Nuts Worth ₹9 Crore

In a major crackdown on smuggling of areca nuts, the officers of Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) (I) at Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (JNCH), Nhava Sheva, intercepted and seized a consignment of 189.6 metric tonne (MT) valued at Rs9.63 crore in nine containers. There was an attempt to smuggle by misdeclaring the consignment as ‘Bitumen Grade 60/70’ in the import documents.

The containers were put on hold after officials of the Container Scanning Division (CSD) became suspicious. Upon examination, it was discovered that areca nuts were concealed behind bitumen drums. Areca nuts attract high tariff value and duty structure of 110% plus integrated GST (IGST). To avoid high GST, unscrupulous importers resort to mis-declaration. The duty on the said consignment amounted to nearly Rs11.63 crore.

Along with the seizure, multiple searches were conducted and statements of connected persons were recorded. During the investigation, one of the directors of the Importer Exporter Code (IEC) holder company was arrested. The modus operandi unearthed involved packing of nuts in wooden pallets wrapped in black plastic to camouflage them and make them appear as bitumen drums.