Rs1.3bn worth of smuggled cigarette material seized in Lahore raid

Customs authorities seized smuggled cigarette paper, filters, packaging material and manufacturing raw material worth over Rs1.3 billion in a raid on a warehouse on the outskirts of Lahore on Thursday. The authorities have launched a large-scale crackdown on cigarette smugglers and tax evaders across Punjab. The latest raid comes two weeks after officials discovered a cache of cigarette-making material and machinery during inspection at a rice mill in the Daska Industrial Area. Investigations revealed that the illegal cigarette production was part of an extensive inter-provincial smuggling network operating under the guise of rice trading.