In a significant crackdown on Areca Nuts smuggling, officers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (JNCH) in Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, on Monday intercepted a massive consignment worth of Rs. 9.63 crores as bitumen. The Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) at JNCH seized a staggering 189.6 metric tons (MTs) of Areca Nuts concealed within nine containers, said an official release.

One director of the Importer Exporter Code (IEC) holder company has been apprehended.