25 tonnes of raw areca nut seized at V.O.C. Port; 2 held for tax evasion

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized ₹2 crore-worth raw areca nut illegally imported at V.O.C. Port from Indonesia and arrested two persons in this connection.Sources in the DRI said the areca nut being imported from a band of countries attracts 100% excise duty while tax being slapped on the roasted areca nut was comparatively less. Hence, some of the business houses illegally imported raw areca nut in the guise of roasted nuts or in the name of other goods.When the DRI received information about the smuggling of huge quantity of raw areca nut from Indonesia via V.O.C. Port, the inspectors opened a 40-foot-long container of a private firm, which had submitted bills stating that it was importing roasted areca nuts from the southeast Asian country. After piling up three tonnes of roasted areca nuts in the front portion of the container, the importers had stuffed 25 tonnes of raw areca nuts in the rear side of the container to evade taxes totalling ₹2 crore.After seizing the container with areca nut, the DRI officials arrested importer Mohammed Shabbir, 48, of Kannur in Keralam and his agent Sornaraj, 45, of Thoothukudi.The two were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody, the sources said. Published - October 27, 2026 07:31 pm IST