Poultry and tobacco products seized

April 14: BAFRA officials in Phuentsholing and police at Tanalum Check Post have apprehended and fined several people for smuggling poultry and tobacco products.

BAFRA officials in Phuentsholing seized 20 boxes of eggs from a DCM truck at the Phuentsholing border gate on Friday. The driver was fined Nu. 12,000 for trying to smuggle the banned products into the country.

The driver of the truck said he was not aware that the boxes contained eggs. He said an Indian businessman had asked him to carry the boxes till the truck parking at the lower market where he would come to pick it up.

Meanwhile, police at the Tanalum Check Post caught three people with eggs and tobacco products over the last few days. A woman traveling to Thimphu was caught carrying 20 boxes of eggs and three gunny bags of tobacco products. She was fined Nu. 15,200 for illegally importing poultry products.

On Thursday, another woman was caught with five boxes of eggs, two gunny bags of chewing tobacco and a box of bidis. She was fined Nu. 38,000.

Later on the same day, five boxes of eggs and 50 boxes of cigarettes were seized from a truck traveling towards Wangduephodrang. The driver was fined Nu. 4,000.

All three are under police custody for smuggling tobacco products.

Import of eggs and other poultry products were banned following a bird flu outbreak in the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal.

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