Coimbatore: The food safety department detained two men, who were smuggling 150kg of banned tobacco products from Bengaluru, at Walayar checkpost on Wednesday.
The catch assumes significance as the department had been catching stashes of banned chewable tobacco products from godowns across the district, but it is yet to zero in on how these banned products manufactured outside the state come into the city.
On Wednesday, officials at Walayar checkpost stopped a Kerala-registered Maruti Ertiga and found packets of banned tobacco products. They detained Vibin, 30, and Riyaz, 33, both from Ernakulam. Subsequently, the checkpost officials informed the rural police and the food safety department.
Food Safety officials reached the spot and questioned the two men. “They said they had bought the tobacco products from Bengaluru. They drove to the city via Salem and were on their way to Ernakulam,” said Dr Vijayalalithambigai, designated food safety officer. “We have seized the vehicle and the tobacco products. We are now trying to get details of their suppliers as we suspect tobacco items to Coimbatore might also be coming from them.”
The food safety department has seized around three tonnes of banned tobacco products from shops and godowns since June. “According to distributors caught in the city, tobacco products are manufactured in north India and come to city from Bengaluru through buses. We are now hoping to catch people who bring tobacco items into the city and supply them to distributors,” said Vijayalalithambigai.
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