DRI busts major e-cigarette smuggling racket at Tuticorin, seizes goods worth Rs 10.42 crore; 3 held

"Based on specific intelligence that a gang involved in smuggling of e-cigarettes had planned to import a container containing e-cigarettes from China into India through Tuticorin Port in the guise of umbrella," the ministry said. Acting on the alert, the officers intercepted the container on November 27, 2025, soon after it arrived at the port. The team decided to closely examine the shipment because the import of e-cigarettes is banned in India under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, and related rules under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

During the examination, the officers first found cartons carrying umbrellas as declared. However, as they moved deeper into the container, they noticed that a large part of the cargo was not what had been reported. Behind the umbrellas, they discovered boxes filled with e-cigarettes of assorted flavours. Officials said the smugglers used 4,300 umbrellas worth Rs 4.30 lakh to hide the consignment of e-cigarettes, hoping it would help the container pass through checks unnoticed.

Once the goods were seized under the Customs Act, 1962, the officers acted quickly to track down the people behind the shipment. Three individuals based in Chennai, who were involved in clearing the consignment, were identified and arrested the same day. They were taken into custody for violating the Customs Act as well as the laws that prohibit the import of e-cigarettes in the country.

"The DRI remains committed in safeguarding the nation's economic interests and public health by curbing the smuggling of prohibited and harmful goods like e-cigarette through constant vigilance and enforcement actions across the country," the ministry noted. (ANI)