Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 13,000 e-cigarettes worth more than Rs 4 crore from an import consignment at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) after detecting alleged misdeclaration of cargo.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted a container in which the goods were declared as mop rods. A detailed examination found 6,000 ‘Yuoto Thanos’ and 7,000 ‘Yuoto Lens’ branded e-cigarettes concealed behind the declared cargo.
The devices, along with the cover cargo, were seized under relevant provisions of the Customs Act.
E-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are prohibited in India under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, which bars their production, import, sale, distribution and related activities.
The DRI said it had seized around 3.55 lakh e-cigarettes valued at over Rs 135 crore across ports, airports and inland container depots in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and West Bengal during the current financial year 2026-27.
The latest seizure is part of the agency’s ongoing drive against cross-border smuggling and illicit trade.
