PIB TrackerDRI seizes 6.642 kg amphetamine, e-cigarettes, foreign currency
In three releases on 10 November the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence reported 6.642 kg of amphetamine seized in Bhopal, about 13,000 e-cigarettes at JNPT and foreign currency worth Rs 3.5 crore at Kolkata airport.
What happened
- On 5 November 2026 DRI stopped a bus passenger from Delhi to Bhopal and seized 6.642 kg of amphetamine; he was arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985 and was already on bail in a Bengaluru case.
- At JNPT DRI seized about 13,000 e-cigarettes worth over Rs 4 crore, declared as 'Mop Rod', under the Customs Act.
- DRI says it has seized about 3,55,000 e-cigarettes worth over Rs 135 crore in FY 2026-27.
- At Kolkata airport on 6 November DRI held seven passengers bound for Bangkok with foreign currency worth Rs 3.12 crore; Rs 0.39 crore more came from others.
- The seven were arrested under the Customs Act read with FEMA Regulations.
For Prelims
- DRI: the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, an anti-smuggling and customs-intelligence agency under the Ministry of Finance (the three releases are filed under that Ministry).
- NDPS Act, 1985: the law under which amphetamine, a psychotropic substance, was seized; the Narcotics Control Bureau is the national nodal agency created under it.
- Field test kit: the NDPS Field Test Kit gives an on-the-spot indication of the substance; the release does not mention laboratory confirmation.
- Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019: bans the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes and all ENDS.
- ENDS: Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; e-cigarettes are one type, and the ban covers all of them.
- Mis-declaration: the e-cigarettes were declared as 'Mop Rod' and hidden at the end of the container among the declared cargo, and were seized under the Customs Act.
- JNPT: Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Trust, now Authority), at Nhava Sheva across Mumbai harbour, developed to relieve pressure on Mumbai port; the consignment was found here.
- FEMA: the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999; carrying foreign currency abroad without documents was charged under the Customs Act read with FEMA Regulations.
For UPSC: DRI, 5 and 6 November 2026: 6.642 kg amphetamine (NDPS Act, 1985); 13,000 e-cigarettes at JNPT; 3,55,000 worth Rs 135 crore in FY 2026-27; Rs 3.12 crore currency at Kolkata.
What it is NOT: The releases give no names, no origin or destination of the amphetamine, no laboratory result, and no word on whether the quantity is a commercial quantity. They do not say who imported the e-cigarettes or from where, whether any of the three cases connect, or what happens to the accused. The Kolkata release does not say how much of the Rs 3.12 crore was in each currency or where the money was headed after Bangkok.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.19 · GS3.18 · Linkage L1
Anchor
Smuggling takes many forms, but the checks are at the same places: ports, airports, bus routes and customs counters. A revenue-intelligence agency works from tip-offs and patterns across these points.
Substantiation (data)
In one day's releases: 6.642 kg of amphetamine in Bhopal, 13,000 e-cigarettes at JNPT, and Rs 3.12 crore of foreign currency at Kolkata. DRI reports 3,55,000 e-cigarettes worth over Rs 135 crore seized in FY 2026-27.
Position
The three cases show intelligence-led interception working across drugs, banned goods and currency. Arrests under the NDPS Act and the Customs Act read with FEMA put carriers and, in some cases, repeat offenders on record.
Counterpoint
Seizure counts show enforcement, not the size of the trade. The Bhopal accused was on bail in another NDPS case, the e-cigarette ban has run since 2019 and seizures continue, and carriers are rarely the organisers.
Way forward
Link cases to trace financiers and importers, publish conviction and bail-condition data, share risk profiles across ports and airports, and tighten container scrutiny for mis-declared cargo.
Conclusion
These seizures show active interdiction across three kinds of illicit flow. Dismantling the networks behind them is the harder test, and the releases do not report it.
Deploys into: Border security and organised crime: customs and revenue intelligence · Money laundering and illicit financial flows: FEMA and currency smuggling · Drug trafficking and the NDPS framework · Public health regulation: the e-cigarette ban
Ministry of Finance · 2026-11-10 · PRID 2334614 · PIB source ↗