The Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate in Cox’s Bazar seized 461,000 sticks of cigarettes bearing counterfeit banderoles during anti-smuggling drives at three locations on October 27.

Three teams conducted simultaneous operations in Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar Sadar and Hnila in Teknaf upazila under the directives of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman and the overall supervision of the NBR member for VAT Implementation and IT.

According to an NBR press release issued on October 28, the seized cigarettes belong to the Marble brand, manufactured by Heritage Tobacco.

The cigarettes have an estimated market value of Tk 27.66 lakh, while the estimated evaded revenue amounts to Tk 22,95,780, the release said.

The commissionerate said it would continue such drives to detect revenue evasion, recover unpaid taxes and protect government revenue.