Aizawl: The Serchhip Battalion of 23 Sector Assam Rifles under the aegis of Inspector General Assam Rifles (East), recovered 30 cases of smuggled foreign cigarettes at Champhai‘s Khankawn near the Myanmar border on Friday. 

One person was apprehended for possessing contraband worth Rs 45 lakh. 

The operation was carried out by a combined team of Assam Rifles and Customs department based on specific information. 

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The seized consignment and the accused were handed over to the Customs department for further legal proceedings. 

Last month troopers of the Assam Rifles recovered and seized 65 cases of foreign-origin cigarettes from the Champhai district of Mizoram.

The seized consignment of foreign-origin cigarettes has been estimated to be worth Rs 97.5 lakhs in the markets.

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The recovery and seizure were made at Zokhawthar in the Champhai district of Mizoram, officials informed on Wednesday.

The smuggled consignment of foreign-origin cigarettes was seized by the Assam Rifles in a joint operation with the Mizoram customs department.

Ongoing smuggling of illegal items is a major cause of concern for the state of Mizoram, the Assam Rifles stated in a statement.