Assam: Cannabis, cigarettes worth Rs 44.1 crore destroyed in Guwahati

Guwahati: The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), Guwahati, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and the Customs Department, on Thursday (October 26), destroyed a huge amount of seized contraband substances in Guwahati.

As per officials, the departments destroyed 9,077.24 kilograms of cannabis (ganja), valued at Rs 14.44 crore in the international market, and 1.51 crore cigarette sticks of foreign origin, valued at Rs 29.66 crore in the grey market.

The contraband items, that were seized during various operations by the enforcement agencies under the Customs Act, 1962, were destroyed at Shyam Steel in Guwahati’s Sawkuchi area.

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The destruction was undertaken by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBIC) under the special campaign 3.0, in an effort to ensure efficient management and disposal of seized goods with a view towards enhancing public welfare and the nation’s well-being. The destruction also ensured cleanliness and freeing up of office space which are the main drivers of the special campaign.

The destruction drive of the contraband items was carried out by Chairman of CBIC Sanjay Kumar Agarwal.

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The Guwahati Customs in the previous financial year 2022-23, carried out the destruction of a total of 7,472.4 kilograms of cannabis, valued at Rs7.72 crore, and 1.78 crore cigarette sticks of foreign origin, valued at Rs 30.23 crore, along with other customs seized goods, including black pepper, dried dates and anti-mosquito coils.