The Value Added Tax (VAT) Intelligence and Investigation Directorate has seized 316,400 sticks of illegal foreign cigarettes during raids on two residential buildings in the capital’s Mohammadpur area.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Thursday disclosed that the estimated market value of the confiscated cigarettes is Tk35 lakh.
The seized consignment involved a government revenue risk of nearly Tk30 lakh in unpaid VAT, supplementary duty, and surcharge.
Based on secret information, two preventive teams of VAT Intelligence conducted simultaneous operations on two residential buildings in the Shyamoli and Mohammadpur areas on Wednesday.
According to the NBR, the intelligence teams simultaneously raided in PC Culture Housing and Building in Joint Quarter, Mohammadpur, around 11am. Both warehouses were locked during the raid.
With the assistance of the building caretakers, officers located the secret godowns. As the owner was absent, officers broke open the padlocks with the co-operation of the building owners to recover the large quantity of foreign cigarettes.
VAT Intelligence officials stated that 255,200 sticks of Patron Nano, Mond Strawberry, Mond Silver, and Oris Nano brand cigarettes were recovered from one warehouse, while 61,200 sticks of Orbit, Mond, Patron, and Oris brands were seized from the other.
After speaking with local residents, the intelligence team ascertained that although the two godowns had separate addresses, they belonged to the same individual.
The building owners had been informed that the premises were being rented under the pretext of running a dealership business.
Citing building caretakers, the NBR noted that the warehouses usually remained closed during the day, with goods being brought in and moved out at night before being dispatched to various locations via courier services.
The building owners said they were unaware of the illicit inventory stored there, having rented out the space for legitimate business.
The NBR confirmed that as the seized cigarettes were illegal, they were deposited in the nearest customs warehouse and will be destroyed in due course as per rules.
Legal proceedings, including the process of filing a case over the incident, are currently underway, according to the revenue authority.
The NBR further affirmed that nationwide drives will continue to curb revenue evasion stemming from the production and marketing of illegal tobacco products, as well as the use of counterfeit stamps or banderoles.
