Chennai Airport Customs Destroys ₹12.5 Crore Worth Smuggled Contaband including Foreign Origin Cigarettes & Vapes
The destroyed contraband were initially smuggled into India in contravention of the provisions of the Indian Customs Act, 1962.
Chennai Airport - Customs - Foreign Origin Cigarettes - Vapes - Taxscan
Chennai Airport - Customs - Foreign Origin Cigarettes - Vapes - Taxscan
The Chennai Airport Customs has destroyed smuggled contraband worth ₹12.5 crore. The destroyed contraband includes foreign origin cigarettes, e-cigarettes and alcohol.
According to officials, about 5.5 lakh sticks of foreign origin cigarettes formed the bulk of the seized goods. These contraband items were smuggled into the country in violation of the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962; Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA, 2003).
The cigarette packets were stated to lack the mandatory pictorial health warnings that are statutorily required to cover 85% of the principal display area, as required under notifications issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Customs authorities pointed out that foreign origin cigarettes are smuggled primarily to evade payment of duties and Goods and Services Tax, making them cheaper in the market as compared to legally imported or domestic products. Smuggling syndicates often use cover cargo or misdeclare the goods to illegally push these consignments into India, bypassing statutory checks.
The seized contraband also included e-cigarettes, which fall under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019.
While the import of e-cigarettes is completely banned, they have become increasingly visible in urban India. Despite their prohibition, vapes are now a common sight in pubs, bars, concerts and other public places across most major cities signaling a lapse in enforcement and the growing popularity of these products among the youth of the nation.
The contraband was destroyed at Gummidipoondi on August 25, 2025, as part of a wider crackdown on smuggling activities at the international gateway. Chennai Customs confirmed that the seized goods were destroyed as per prescribed guidelines in the presence of officials and a representative from a non-governmental organisation, underscoring the Department’s commitment to enforcing anti-smuggling laws and protecting public health.
