Rs1.3bn worth of smuggled cigarette material seized in Lahore raid

Customs authorities seized smuggled cigarette paper, filters, packaging material and manufacturing raw material worth over Rs1.3 billion in a raid on a warehouse on the outskirts of Lahore on Thursday.

The authorities have launched a large-scale crackdown on cigarette smugglers and tax evaders across Punjab.

The latest raid comes two weeks after officials discovered a cache of cigarette-making material and machinery during inspection at a rice mill in the Daska Industrial Area.

Investigations revealed that the illegal cigarette production was part of an extensive inter-provincial smuggling network operating under the guise of rice trading.

Acting on these findings, Collector Customs Enforcement Muhammad Saeed Wattoo assigned Assistant Collector Arsalan Mughal and Superintendent Anti-Smuggling Rashid Munir the task to dismantle the network.

Superintendent Munir and his team analysed CCTV footage and toll plaza data from Daska to Lahore, which led them to a concealed warehouse near Adda Plot on the city's outskirts.

A subsequent raid uncovered 80 tons of cigarette paper, 12 tons of filters as well as large quantities of paper structures, packaging material and other raw components used in cigarette manufacturing.