Kolkata: In a major DRI e-cigarettes seizure, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recovered over 55,000 smuggled e-cigarettes at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata on 24 October 2026. The seized goods are worth Rs 13.50 crore. The agency carried out two operations as part of what it describes as a sustained crackdown on illicit trade.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted two containers carrying Nepal-bound transshipment consignments. The officers suspected that the consignments contained e-cigarettes. The exporters had mis-declared the goods as “water glass” in one container and “ceramic mugs” in the other.
A detailed examination of the first container led to the recovery of 40,000 pieces of e-cigarettes of the IGET brand in various flavours. The smugglers had hidden them among the declared cargo. The second container yielded around 15,000 pieces of e-cigarettes of various brands, including VTV, VOKO, Bang and Ejoy. Officers found these too hidden among the declared cargo.
Law and the year’s total
DRI seized the e-cigarettes along with the cover cargo under relevant sections of the Customs Act. Electronic cigarettes and all Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) are prohibited in India under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019. The government enacted the law in the interest of public health and to protect people from harm.
In the current financial year 2026-27, DRI has already seized around 3,00,000 e-cigarettes worth more than Rs 120 crore. Officers made these seizures at various ports, airports and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and West Bengal. Moreover, the latest DRI e-cigarettes seizure at Kolkata adds to this sustained enforcement drive against illicit trade.
