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Informist, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

--CBIC chairman: Threat from narcotics smuggling remains persistent 
--CONTEXT: CBIC Chairman Chaturvedi speaking at DRI Founding Day event 
--CBIC chairman: Gold smuggling continues to be significant issue 

NEW DELHI – India continues to face threat from smuggling of narotics and gold with smugglers adopting new modus operandi, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs Chairman Vivek Chaturvedi said Thursday. 

"The threat from narcotic (smuggling) remains persistent on our country and trans-national syndicate continue to engage in cat-and-mouse game by exploiting couriers and e-commerce shipments as well as maritime routes, pushing high-purity, synthetic drugs into the country," Chaturvedi said while speaking at Directorate of Revenue Intelligence's 68th Founding Day. 

Lauding the intelligence department's work in dismantling such networks, Chaturvedi said that over the course of last one year, the department has busted and seized 65 kilograms of cociane, 225 Kg of methamphetamine, and almost 9 tonnes of 'ganja'. "...thereby making a significant dent in the cross border smuggling networks," he said.

Gold smuggling, he said, continues to be an evolving issue. "Syndicates are coming out with new conceivement methods, missuing access within airports and airlines, cargo handling ecosystems," he said.  

In June, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that while the intelligence department has made progress in curtailing and busting smuggling chains--especially in the case of gold smuggling--huge illegal trade of the precious metal continues.

She had reiterated that the bigger syndicates, or "big fish" are not being touched by the government's actions. "The goal must be to dismantle entire network and the syndicate, not just to intercept findings," she had said. "...we should show some tangible results on it."  End

Reported by Priyasmita Dutta

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

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