Massive Rs 9.65 Crore Areca Nut Smuggling Bust at Nhava Sheva

Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House in Navi Mumbai seized 189.6 metric tonnes of smuggled areca nuts disguised as bitumen worth Rs 9.65 crore. The Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch arrested a director of the importer company. The high tariff and duty on areca nuts incentivize such smuggling activities.

Navi Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House has intercepted an audacious smuggling attempt, confiscating 189.6 metric tonnes of areca nuts camouflaged as bitumen, worth an estimated Rs 9.65 crore. This operation led to the arrest of a director from the importer exporter code (IEC) holder company, officials confirmed on Monday.

The Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) uncovered the scheme after alert officers from the Container Scanning Division (CSD) identified suspicious scans. Nine containers marked as carrying bitumen were detained and upon detailed examination, were found to hold areca nuts clandestinely packed behind the alleged bitumen drums.

The nuts were strategically packed in wooden pallets and wrapped in black plastic, mimicking bitumen barrels to evade the hefty 110 per cent duty plus Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) on areca nuts. This discovery prompted multiple searches, recordings of statements, and an ongoing investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)