DRI seizes over than Rs 1,000 cr of contraband each month, says agency's DG

Statement made at Ficci Cascade event, where it was revealed that World Customs Organization has evolved strategies to tackle illicit trade using AI, ML, blockchain to disrupt the practice

The enormity of the issue of smuggling can be gauged from the fact that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seizes more than Rs 1,000 crore of contraband every month, said Mohan Kumar Singh, Director General, DRI at the Ficci Cascade ‘Anti-Smuggling Day’ event.

“Today, smugglers use sophisticated methods and technologies to smuggle goods across international borders. This kind of illicit trade of counterfeiting and smuggling is a global risk that has negative impact on economic activities, deprives governments of revenue, forces a high burden on taxpayers, exposes customers to dangerous products, and provides linkages to terrorism,” he said at the event.

P K Das, Director, Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, World Customs Organization (WCO) said that smuggling drains three per cent of the world’s economy and causes a loss of $2 trillion according to a report by Unctad (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development).

“To address smuggling, WCO has unveiled a three-year strategic plan (2022-25) with a focus on the areas of illicit trade. WCO has also launched a data strategy to nurture and reengineer new processes, incorporate modern disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning, drone, robotics, and besides others,” he added.

He said advanced analytics used by CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) to detect fraud in the indirect taxation domain in India was showcased to WCO members as part of disseminating best practices and WCO also has been applying technology to improve the seamless flow of information and statistics.

Anil Rajput, Chairman, Ficci Cascade urged the United Nations to recognise and declare February 11 as anti-smuggling day. This will significantly encourage international cooperation and coordination in tackling this issue, and provide an effective platform for discussing and addressing its root causes and consequences.