The Delhi Customs, IGI Airport, has booked a case of smuggling of Foreign Cigarettes (3700 Dandas) without pictorial warning imprinted on them on 23rd  July, 2020 by 13 Indian passengers stranded in Dubai due to COVID-19. The passengers were travelling from Dubai to Delhi via Flight No. EK-510 and arrived at 09:05 am on 23.07.2020 at T-3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. These 13 Indian passengers were intercepted after they had crossed the Green Channel.

The said recovered cigarettes have been seized under Section 110 of Customs Act, 1962. The collective value of the seized goods is ₹ 66,60,000/- (Rupees Sixty Six Lakhs Sixty Thousand).

The 13 Indian passangers have been placed under arrest in terms of Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigations are under progress.

Customs seizure for non compliant cigarette packaging leads to arrest of passengers after green channel clearance. Seizure of foreign cigarettes without mandated pictorial health warnings was carried out after arrival from Dubai and interception following Green Channel passage; the goods were seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962 as non compliant imports, and thirteen passengers transporting the consignments were placed under arrest under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962, with investigations ongoing.