DRI Cracks Rs 139 Crore Smuggling Racket at Nhava Sheva Port

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Mumbai has exposed a major smuggling operation involving watermelon seeds and green peas at the Nhava Sheva Port. Announced on Monday, the operation resulted in the interception of 132 containers carrying approximately 3,029 metric tonnes of goods falsely declared as 'Toor Dal/Pigeon Peas'. These confiscated consignments have an estimated market value of Rs 139 crore.

Upon detailed examination, DRI officials discovered blatant misdeclaration. The contents included 2,710 metric tonnes of watermelon seeds sourced from Tanzania and Sudan, alongside 319 metric tonnes of green peas from Canada, all substituted under the guise of Toor Dal shipments. The Indian government has instated stringent import regulations on these items to protect domestic farmers from underpriced imports.

The import ban on melon seeds was implemented post-June 2024 as per DGFT Notification No. 05/2023, while imports of green peas are restricted by DGFT Notification No. 37/2015-20, which enforces a Minimum Import Price and limits entry through Kolkata Port only. The proprietor behind the smuggling has been apprehended as of April 19. The DRI remains committed to reinforcing compliance and protecting national economic interests.