Overview
- Officers intercepted a 40-foot container declared as glass bottles from China and found 29,340 firecrackers concealed behind a superficial layer of glass items.
- The contraband, valued at roughly Rs 4.4 crore, was seized at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai following specific intelligence inputs.
- DRI reports that illegal fireworks seized by its Mumbai unit in October total about Rs 16 crore as the crackdown continues.
- In an earlier operation this month, officials seized 46,640 firecrackers worth Rs 4.82 crore hidden under garments in a shipment declared as leggings, leading to the arrest of a key person from Veraval, Gujarat.
- Firecracker imports are classified as Restricted under the Foreign Trade Policy and require clearances from DGFT and PESO, with investigations ongoing into the smuggling network.