Page 113 - SMUGGLING IN INDIA REPORT FOR 2020-2021

been hovering in the range of Rs. 350-400 per kg in the last few years, before it declined further to Rs. 322 per kg in early November 2020. As most pepper-producing countries are in the ASEAN region, the possibility of pepper from these countries, including Vietnam, being routed through Sri Lanka and Nepal for availing lower import duty, has caught attention in the recent past. Imports from Vietnam through Nepal and Sri Lanka have emerged as a major concern in this regard.
In July 2020, among other contraband, DRI recovered 30 MT black pepper of foreign origin attempted to be smuggled into India on the basis of forged Customs Transit Declaration (CTD) documents In November 2020, DRI seized
23 MT of black pepper valued at Rs. 1.03 crore from an import consignment from Hong Kong, mis-declared as ‘soda ash’.
In March 2021, DRI recovered 25,000 kg black pepper of foreign origin valued at Rs. 1.75 crore, from a truck near Kolasib, Mizoram.
Poppy Seeds
In March 2021, DRI affected recovery of 6703 kg of black pepper valued at 46.9 lakhs, and 8480 kg of poppy seeds valued at Rs. 67.84 Lakh.
In another case, DRI recovered 3994.60 kg of poppy seeds of foreign origin (70 bags) during the search of a premises at Guwahati. The smuggled poppy seeds valued at Rs. 31.95 lakh were mis-declared as “Ram Dana” (Amaranth seeds), in the related documents to avoid detection.
CHAPTER 5: PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY: EMERGING CONCERNS 67