Smuggled cigarette sticks worth 1.76 cr recovered by Customs Vijayawada team 

Acting on specific intelligence, the officers of the Customs Commissionerate (Preventive) Vijayawada, along with officers of the Anti-Evasion, Guntur Central GST Commissionerate successfully conducted a joint operation in Vijayawada and detected recovered 17 lakh 60 thousand smuggled cigarette sticks worth 1.76 crore rupees. The seized cigarettes lacked any statutory pictorial health warnings as mandated under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 and were found to be in violation of provisions under the Customs Act, 1962. The accused have been remanded to 14 days judicial custody. The Customs Vijayawada team in this financial year 2024-25, so far seized 82.6 lakhs smuggled Cigarette sticks valued at ₹ 8.26 Crores. This seizure underscores the commitment to prevent the smuggling of foreign-origin goods that bypass customs duties and pose a threat to public health and safety.