Rise in smuggling of tobacco-based intoxicants - CNCU

Rasika Somarathna

“There has been an increase in attempts to smuggle tobacco - based intoxicants into the country, in recent times, while there has been a sharp drop in efforts to bring in hard drugs, such as heroin, cocaine etc., “the Customs Narcotic Control Unit (CNCU) said.

During the first half of this year, CNCU sleuths seized over 70 kgs of snuff, 14 kgs of babul hans, more than 60 kgs of chewing tobacco and 84 kgs of Pang Parah, worth millions of rupees.

However, when it comes to hard drugs, there has been no significant detection in the recent past.

Experts say that tobacco-based intoxicants mainly brought from other South Asian countries are sold at kiosks in many locations. They are popular mainly with low income earners and young children.

Sources say that vendors lure schoolchildren to become potential addicts. When children become addicted to such mild intoxicants they crave for more potent drugs.

Customs Superintendent Nihal Alahapperuma of the Narcotics Control Unit on attempts to smuggle such mild intoxicants in to the country, said that loop holes in the law has helped smugglers in such efforts.

He said tobacco-based intoxicants, such as, Babul, Hans and snuff, chewing tobacco presently come under the Food Act and not the Narcotics Control Act and called it an impediment to his unit's efforts to curb the inflow of such drugs.

According to sources, sleuths currently seize such goods on the basis that such imported consignments do not include the food seal.

At present authorities do not stamp the food seal on such goods (if detected) paving the way for their seizure.

However, this has hampered efforts by officials to initiate legal action against offenders with most of them escaping with just a Customs fine.