DRI seizes over 125,000 kg foreign-origin smuggled areca nuts and 41,000 kg poppy seeds worth around Rs. 20.31 crore in Assam and Mizoram in a crackdown on cross-border smuggling; four arrested

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 1,25,680 kg of foreign-origin areca nuts and 41,697 kg of foreign-origin poppy seeds, collectively valued at approximately Rs. 20.31 crore, in operations across Mizoram and Assam. Four individuals were arrested in connection with the transport of smuggled poppy seeds. The operation in Mizoram's Champhai District recovered goods smuggled from Myanmar, which were seized under the Customs Act, 1962. A separate interception near Silchar, Assam, recovered poppy seeds transported without valid import documents. The source notes that poppy seeds are classified as a restricted item under the Foreign Trade Policy, requiring specific import conditions and registration.