Operation ‘Filter Out’: DRI Seizes 7.37 Crore Foreign Cigarettes Worth ₹14.74 Crore in Major Anti-Smuggling Crackdown

In one of the biggest anti-smuggling actions in recent months, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 7.37 crore smuggled foreign cigarettes worth ₹14.74 crore during a two-day nationwide crackdown named ‘Operation Filter Out’. The action was carried out on 21 and 22 November 2025 in Mizoram with crucial assistance from the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF).

The seized cigarettes were being trafficked illegally from Myanmar into India and were meant to be distributed across the country.

First Operation: Suspicious Vehicle Intercepted in Mamit District

On 21 November, a DRI team intercepted a suspicious vehicle in Kanhmun, located in Mizoram’s Mamit district. Upon inspection, officers recovered:

• 165 cartons of foreign cigarettes
• Brands: Oris, Win, Benson & Hedges
• Total quantity: 16,50,000 cigarettes

Subsequently, the DRI raided a nearby house being used as a makeshift warehouse. From there, officers seized:

• 110 cartons (11,00,000 cigarettes) of Oris and Benson & Hedges Blue Gold
• 87 cartons (8,70,000 cigarettes) of Paris Special Filter, XSO Black Fruits, and Benson & Hedges Blue Gold

In total, the first phase led to the recovery of 36.20 lakh cigarettes and the arrest of two individuals.

Second Operation: Raids in Lunglei Unearth Massive Stockpile

On 22 November, a DRI team conducted searches at two warehouses and a residential house in the Chandmari area of Lunglei. This operation resulted in the seizure of:

• 375 cartons of foreign cigarettes
• Brands: Oris, Win, V, Far Star, Esse Light, Patron, Mond, Valiant
• Total quantity: 37,50,000 cigarettes

One person was arrested in connection with the Lunglei seizure.

Total Seizure: 7.37 Crore Cigarettes Without Mandatory Health Warnings

Across both operations, the DRI recovered:

➡️ 7,37,00,000 (7.37 crore) foreign cigarettes

➡️ Total market value: ₹14.74 crore

A major concern highlighted by officials is that none of the seized cigarette packets carried the mandatory pictorial and textual health warnings required under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.

Smuggling Route Exposed

Preliminary investigations reveal that the cigarettes were smuggled into India through the Zokhawthar sector along the India–Myanmar border. The goods and the intercepting vehicle have been seized under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

Three Arrested; Crackdown Part of DRI’s Larger Anti-Smuggling Drive

Three accused have been arrested so far. Officials said that Operation Filter Out is part of DRI’s intensified national efforts to curb the burgeoning smuggling network of foreign cigarettes into the Northeast region and beyond.