Article: Where there's smoke... ; ...There must be smuggling. Indian-made cigarettes, the #1 FMCG, are facing a tidal wave of smuggled imports that get away without paying killer excise rates.

They come in many names, from the suspiciously familiar 'Classic' to 'Dolphin', in classy packs of 20s, and sit next to top foreign and Indian brands in Kolkata's paan shops. Their edge: pricing. At Rs 20 for Myanmar's Golden Elephant against Rs 80 for ITC's Gold Flake, they have become the perfect starting point for the upwardly mobile bidi-smoker or gutkha chewer who has lost access to all cheap non-filter cigarettes.

Cut to the Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Chander Bhan, who reigns over the borders of West Bengal and Sikkim. He displays a record haul of top-end foreign brands seized from Sealdah station in February. Valued at nearly Rs 40 lakh, it has taken this year's total haul ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!