A day after busting a major cigarette smuggling racket at One-Town here, the Customs Department is looking for clues to identify other places where the illegal trade is thriving.
The focus is now on Guntur city, which is the hub of tobacco business in the State, and some areas in Vijayawada where the business has strong roots.
According to sources, some pockets in Vijayawada have become safe havens for illegal manufacture of cigarettes and other tobacco products. The Customs Department is gathering intelligence inputs on these hideouts. The department, however, is not in a hurry to conduct further raids fearing that suspects could escape along with the products once they sense the possibility of raids.
“We raided some shops and warehouses based on a tip-off. One trader, who was apprehended, spilled the beans about another person, thanks to business rivalry. Yet another individual shifted the stocks from his warehouse to an unknown location before our teams reached him. Such is the speed at which reports on raids spread,” a Customs Department official said.
He added that tobacco major ITC had been complaining to the department about the illegal cigarette business, but the former did not part with specific information.
On Saturday’s seizure, investigation is under way to ascertain the places of origin of the contraband, their destination and those behind the illegal business.
Gold smuggling
Police have booked two cases of branded gold biscuit smuggling in the city since January. Two Coimbatore-based businessmen, who were involved in the first case, were apprehended at the Vijayawada railway station while carrying 17 gold biscuits worth nearly Rs. 96 lakh.
In the second case, police arrested a jewellery shop proprietor from Vijayawada and recovered as many as 10 gold biscuits, valued at Rs. 34 lakh, from him.
