Shillong, May 22: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has apprehended five persons and seized approximately 60,000 kg of smuggled foreign-origin arecanuts in Northeast.
The seizure was made by the DRI’s Guwahati Zonal Unit, assisted by the 38 Battalion of Assam Rifles, in two major operations conducted yesterday and earlier in the week.
Acting on specific intelligence, the DRI carried out operations in Mizoram and Assam.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the foreign-origin dried areca nuts entered India from Myanmar through the Myanmar-Mizoram border.
The illegal influx of areca nuts from Myanmar poses a serious threat to domestic areca nut growers, inflicting severe economic damage and undermines economic security, particularly in border regions where livelihoods depend on local agricultural output, a statement said.
