Smuggling in India Report 2019-20
The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has released the ‘Smuggling in India Report, 2019-20. The report was inaugurated on the occasion of 63rd Founding Day Celebrations of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Purpose of the report
The report analyses the organised smuggling trends in Gold and Foreign Currency, Narcotic Drugs, Environment, Security and Commercial Frauds.
About the report
- The report was compiled by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has detected 412 cases of smuggling so far.
- The cases have resulted in the seizure of contraband worth rupee 1,949 crore in 2019-20.
- The organisation has arrested 837 economic offenders.
- It has unearthed 761 complex cases of Customs duty evasion that amounts to rupee 2,183 crore.
DRI Utkrisht Seva Samman, 2020
The organisation also presented the DRI Utkrisht Seva Samman, 2020. It was awarded to Sankaran who is an officer of the 1961 batch of the Indian Revenue Service.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is an Indian intelligence agency. It is an apex anti-smuggling intelligence, investigations and operations agency of India. This office is run by officers from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). These officers are posted in various Zonal Units and in Indian embassies abroad. The officers abroad are the part of Customs Overseas Intelligence Network. The DRI is headed by a Director General of the rank of Special Secretary.
Function of DRI
The DRI works to secure the national and economic security of India by preventing the outright smuggling of firearms, gold, Fake Indian Currency notes, narcotics, wildlife, antiques and environmental products. The organisation also helps in preventing the proliferation of black money, trade based money laundering and other commercial frauds.