DRI seizes 46,640 smuggled Chinese firecrackers worth ₹4.82 crore at Nhava Sheva under 'Operation Fire Trail'
On 20 October 2025, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence said it had seized 46,640 pieces of Chinese-origin firecrackers worth ₹4.82 crore at Nhava Sheva port, Maharashtra, under 'Operation Fire Trail', and arrested one person from Veraval, Gujarat.
Summary
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said on 20 October 2025 that under its ongoing 'Operation Fire Trail' it intercepted a 40-foot container from China at Nhava Sheva port, bound for ICD Ankleshwar and declared as carrying 'leggings'. Officers found 46,640 pieces of firecrackers worth ₹4.82 crore hidden behind a layer of garments. Follow-up searches led to the arrest of a key person from Veraval, Gujarat. Import of firecrackers is 'Restricted' under the ITC (HS) classification of the Foreign Trade Policy and needs licences from both the DGFT and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) under the Explosives Rules, 2008.
Key facts
- Operation
- Operation Fire Trail (DRI)
- Port
- Nhava Sheva, Maharashtra; destined for ICD Ankleshwar
- Seized
- 46,640 pieces of Chinese-origin firecrackers, ₹4.82 crore
- Declared as
- 'Leggings'
- Arrest
- One person from Veraval, Gujarat
- Import rule
- Restricted under ITC (HS); DGFT + PESO licences (Explosives Rules, 2008)
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Under 'Operation Fire Trail' (October 2025), the DRI seized smuggled Chinese firecrackers at which port?
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Correct answer: D — Nhava Sheva
PIB: DRI officers intercepted a 40-foot container from China at Nhava Sheva port carrying 46,640 pieces of concealed firecrackers.
In the Operation Fire Trail case, the container carrying firecrackers had been declared as carrying which goods?
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Correct answer: A — Leggings
PIB: the container, destined for ICD Ankleshwar, was declared as carrying 'leggings'; the firecrackers were hidden behind a layer of garments.
Consider the following statements about the import of firecrackers into India, as stated by the DRI in October 2025: 1. Import of firecrackers is 'Restricted' under the ITC (HS) classification of the Foreign Trade Policy. 2. It requires licences from both the DGFT and PESO under the Explosives Rules, 2008. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct. PIB: firecracker import is 'Restricted' under ITC (HS) and requires valid licences from both DGFT and PESO under the Explosives Rules, 2008.