DRI Seizes 60,000 kg of Smuggled Foreign-Origin Areca Nuts in North-East Region

📌 Summary:

• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Guwahati Zonal Unit, seized around 60,000 kg of smuggled foreign-origin areca nuts in two major operations in the North-East region
• Acting on specific intelligence, DRI conducted operations in Mizoram and Assam; in one operation it was assisted by the 38th Battalion of Assam Rifles
• Initial investigations revealed that foreign-origin dried areca nuts were smuggled into India from Myanmar through the Myanmar-Mizoram border
• So far, 5 persons have been arrested in connection with these operations
• The illegal influx of areca nuts from the neighbouring country is causing severe economic damage to domestic areca nut growers and undermining economic security in border regions

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Internal Security — organised cross-border smuggling, border management, and the economic dimension of internal security.

🔑 Key Term: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) — the apex anti-smuggling intelligence and investigation agency functioning under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).