DRI busts Pakistan-origin imports, seizes over 362 MT dry dates in Nashik

New Delhi, Sep 14: In a significant crackdown on attempts to circumvent India’s prohibition on imports from Pakistan, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), has seized more than 362 metric tonnes of Pakistan-origin dry dates. Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted 13 containers of dry dates imported by a Mumbai-based firm at CFS Ambad, Nashik. The consignments had arrived from Jebel Ali, UAE, with import documents declaring the UAE as the country of origin. Preliminary investigation revealed a carefully orchestrated transshipment arrangement designed to conceal the Pakistan-origin of the goods. The dry dates were initially shipped from Karachi Port, Pakistan, to Jebel Ali Port, UAE, in one set of containers aboard one vessel. At Jebel Ali, the goods were merely transshipped and transferred to another set of containers and loaded onto a different vessel for onward shipment to India through entities operated by Pakistani nationals. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India, in the interest of national security, imposed a complete prohibition on the direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, with effect from 2 May 2025, vide DGFT Notification No. 06/2025-26 dated 2 May 2025. In response, DRI, under “Operation Deep Manifest”, has been consistently identifying, intercepting and seizing Pakistan-origin goods attempted to be imported into India through third-country routing. The seizure underscores DRI’s sustained resolve to identify, disrupt and dismantle sophisticated networks seeking to circumvent trade prohibitions through misdeclaration, transshipment and manipulation of documentation, thereby safeguarding national security and straightening supply chain integrity.