Police have arrested a 54-year-old man in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar, after allegedly recovering 100,000 illegal cigarettes worth an estimated Tk 860,000.
The man, identified as Dulal Pal, was arrested during a police operation in the Moulvibazar Road area of the upazila on Wednesday night (16 September).
According to police, a team from Sreemangal Police Station was conducting a special operation focused on recovering illicit substances when it received confidential information that a large quantity of illegal cigarettes had been stockpiled in an open space beside the pavement in front of SA Paribahan on Moulvibazar Road.
Police said they were also informed that the cigarettes were being prepared for delivery to another location through a courier service.
A police team subsequently went to the area. When the officers arrived, one man allegedly attempted to flee after noticing their presence. He was detained with the assistance of other officers and members of the police team and was later identified as Dulal Pal.
Police said the seized cigarettes were recovered from the spot in the presence of witnesses based on information provided by Pal after his arrest. The consignment comprised eight cartons of ‘Star’ cigarettes, one carton of ‘Link’ cigarettes and one carton of ‘Five Filter Kings’.
The total quantity recovered was 100,000 sticks, with an estimated market value of Tk 860,000, according to police.
A case has since been filed at Sreemangal Police Station under the Special Powers Act, with police bringing allegations against Pal over the illegal storage of cigarettes. The case will now proceed through the relevant legal process.
The seizure comes as law enforcement agencies continue to target the storage and distribution of cigarettes believed to have entered the market without complying with applicable tax and duty requirements. Such operations can involve both the recovery of illicit tobacco products and investigations into how the goods were sourced and where they were intended to be sent.
Police said the investigation will also seek to establish the wider circumstances surrounding the consignment and whether others were involved in its storage or planned transportation.
Sreemangal Police Station Officer-in-Charge Government Abdullah Al Mamun said operations against illegally stored and duty-evaded cigarettes would continue.
The authorities have not provided further details about the source of the seized cigarettes or the intended destination of the consignment. Those aspects are expected to form part of the ongoing investigation.
