The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at nine locations in Chambai district along the Mizoram-Myanmar border in connection with a probe into the smuggling of Burmese dried areca nuts into India, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Officials said the raids were carried out on Tuesday morning with the help of Mizoram police on individuals involved in smuggling. “This major crackdown targets a highly organized cross-border network involved in large-scale smuggling of dried areca nuts into India. The raids primarily focused on residences and commercial premises of prominent local facilitators of the smuggling network,” said an officer, requesting anonymity.
An officer said the initial investigation by the Executive Directorate showed that these individuals “illegally brought consignments from Myanmar via the Teo River, stored them on local farms, and used forged e-way bills and forged documents to pass them off as legitimate local purchases.”
“This illicit smuggling pipeline facilitated the systematic generation and accumulation of hundreds of millions of rupees, impacting the country’s economy. Furthermore, the defendants exploited their local tribal status to act as front claimants before customs authorities, using historically irrelevant import documents to secure the release of the seized smuggled goods.”
Areca nut is widely consumed in India, especially in the form of paan masala and gutkha. Its smuggling depends on high local demand and cheaper alternatives.
The Directorate of Revenue and Intelligence said in its report on smuggling in India (2024-25) that it seized 4,613 metric tons of smuggled areca nuts worth 4,613 metric tons. $234 crore, mostly from the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, and major ports like Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Thoothukudi.
