990 kg beedi leaves bound for SL seized

The beedi leaves, weighing around 990 kgs, were seized near Sangumal, Rameswaram late on Friday night, said sources. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the seized beedi leaves were supposed to be smuggled to the neighbouring country, Sri Lanka, via sea route.

However, acting on a tip off, a team of sleuths led by Superintendent of Customs M Muniaswamy foiled the smuggling bid and seized the leaves. The dry leaves were found in a van, which was also seized by the sleuths. The van’s driver, Karthik, was also secured for further interrogation.

Export and import of beedi leaves are not prohibited. However, such illegal acts of smuggling have been recurring to avoid the 34 per cent import duty levied by the Customs department inSri lanka. Last month, three cases were booked against smuggling of beedi leaves by the Preventive Unit of Customs and over 2.5 tonnes of the leaves were seized, said Muniyasamy, the Superintendentof Customs.