Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Delhi GST Department Seizes Imported Cigarettes Worth Rs 65 Lakh
Delhi tax officials stopped a vehicle carrying imported cigarettes.
It held about 4.20 lakh sticks of Esse Light cigarettes.
Officials estimated the shipment was worth about Rs 65 lakh.
They said the packets did not have the required picture warning about health dangers.
Such warnings are required on tobacco products sold or distributed in India, including imported products.
Officials said this breached Section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
The action followed an inspection, with one report describing it as part of a night raid by anti-evasion officers.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government would continue acting against tax evasion and illegal tobacco trade.
Delhi’s GST department seized about 4.20 lakh imported Esse Light cigarette sticks valued at approximately Rs 65 lakh.
Officials intercepted the vehicle during a routine inspection; one report described the action as an Anti-Evasion Branch night raid.
The cigarettes were identified as imported South Korean, super-slim premium-filter products.
Officials said the packets lacked the prescribed pictorial health warning on the front.
The action was taken under the GST Act, 2017, and Section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
- Who
- Delhi’s GST department, including officers from the Anti-Evasion Branch of the Department of Trade and Taxes.
- What
- The seizure of approximately 4.20 lakh imported cigarette sticks worth around Rs 65 lakh.
- When
- September 2, according to the official statement issued Wednesday.
- Where
- Delhi; the cigarettes were found in a vehicle during an inspection.
- Why
- Officials said the consignment violated requirements for tobacco products because the packets lacked prescribed pictorial health warnings.
- Cigarettes seized
- Approximately 4.20 lakh sticks
- Estimated value
- Around Rs 65 lakh
- Brand and type
- Imported Esse Light super-slim premium-filter cigarettes
- Origin identified in report
- South Korean cigarettes
- Reported violation
- Packets lacked the prescribed pictorial health warning on the front
- GST legislation
- GST Act, 2017
- Tobacco legislation
- Section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003
