371 tonnes of smuggled areca nuts worth ₹32.31 crore seized at JNPT

The containers were supposed to contain calcium nitrate, and the importer mis-declared the areca nuts to evade Customs duty of ₹36 crore, a DRI source said, adding, “The 14 containers were destined for the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Talegaon, Pune”

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently seized 371 tonnes of smuggled areca nuts worth ₹32.31 crore at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Navi Mumbai. It is said to be one of the largest seizures of smuggled areca nuts in the country.

The import of areca nuts attracts high tariff value as the latter seeks to protect the domestic industry. Slices of areca nuts are generally chewed in raw form or at times, mixed with slaked lime, spices and tobacco and are used by some allegedly for its mild psychostimulant effects. (HT PHOTO)

The containers were supposed to contain calcium nitrate, and the importer mis-declared the areca nuts to evade Customs duty of ₹36 crore, a DRI source said, adding, “The 14 containers were destined for the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Talegaon, Pune.”

“Acting on intelligence inputs, fourteen 40-feet containers were intercepted by DRI Mumbai at JNPT on August 31 on the suspicion that they may be containing areca nuts,” the DRI source said. “The containers were stopped at the JNPT port before they could be trans-shipped to the dry port in the hinterland, as it was suspected that the cargo could be pilfered or replaced en route.”

The government has put a tariff value of $10,379 per metric ton on areca nuts brought into the country from outside. “The areca nuts in split form attract Customs Duty at the rate of 110% of the value. This is one of the biggest seizures of smuggled areca nuts in the country,” the source said.

The import of areca nuts attracts high tariff value as the latter seeks to protect the domestic industry. Slices of areca nuts are generally chewed in raw form or at times, mixed with slaked lime, spices and tobacco and are used by some allegedly for its mild psychostimulant effects.

Last month, the DRI also busted two criminal networks involved in the illegal smuggling of areca nuts and arrested five of their operatives as well as seized 50 metric tonnes of smuggled areca nuts in two separate cases, which were estimated to be worth around ₹4.43 crore. The areca nuts had been smuggled in the garb of quick lime lumps and gypsum powder from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.