Guwahati, May 22: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized around 60,000 kilograms of smuggled foreign-origin areca nuts in two major operations carried out in the Northeast region, officials said on Friday.
According to an official statement issued by the DRI, the operations were conducted by the Guwahati Zonal Unit in Mizoram and Assam following specific intelligence inputs.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the dried areca nuts, believed to be of foreign origin, were smuggled into India from Myanmar through the Myanmar-Mizoram border.
In one of the operations, the DRI team was assisted by the 38 Battalion of the Assam Rifles.
Officials informed that five persons have been arrested so far in connection with the smuggling activities.
The DRI stated that the illegal influx of areca nuts from neighbouring countries is causing severe economic losses to domestic areca nut growers and also undermining economic security in border regions.
