Illegal cigarette factory busted in Chakwal, goods worth Rs. 250 million seized

Authorities have busted an illegal cigarette factory near Dhrabi village in Chakwal and seized goods, machinery and raw materials worth more than Rs250 million, according to officials.

CHAKWAL: Authorities have busted an illegal cigarette factory near Dhrabi village in Chakwal and seized goods, machinery and raw materials worth more than Rs250 million, according to officials.

The raid was conducted jointly by the Intelligence and Investigation team of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other intelligence officials following a tip-off about an illegal cigarette manufacturing network operating in the area.

According to FBR officials, the facility was a complete cigarette manufacturing unit that allegedly operated at night to evade Federal Excise Duty (FED) and General Sales Tax (GST). The factory was reportedly producing cigarettes under different brand names and supplying them to the market.

Officials said the manufacturing unit was not registered with the FBR. The cigarette packets also allegedly lacked barcodes, which authorities said was part of the tax-evasion mechanism.

The raid uncovered a substantial manufacturing operation. Eleven cigarette-making machines and three industrial generators were sealed during the operation.

A large warehouse at the site contained significant quantities of finished cigarettes and raw materials. Authorities seized approximately 72,000 cigarette packets that were ready for sale, along with around 12,000 kilograms of raw tobacco.

Other materials recovered from the premises included white paper rolls, silver and golden packaging rolls, aluminium foil rolls, polythene rolls and more than 107,000 empty cigarette packets.

Officials also confiscated 30 cartons of filter rods, 14 cartons of filter paper, adhesive material and drums used in the manufacturing process.

The initial assessment by FBR officials puts the combined value of the raw materials, finished products and seized machinery at more than Rs250 million. Authorities are also calculating the potential amount of tax allegedly evaded through the operation.

The discovery highlights the scale of illegal cigarette manufacturing and the potential loss of government revenue through unregistered production and tax evasion.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the illegal cigarette network to determine the individuals and businesses involved in the manufacturing and distribution of the products.

The illegal cigarette factory in Chakwal is among the latest targets of enforcement operations aimed at curbing illicit tobacco production and protecting government tax revenues.