A large quantity of electronic cigarettes (Vape) imported into Nepal by evading revenue has been seized by the joint efforts of the Revenue Investigation Department and the police. According to department sources, about 120,000 pieces of vape have been recovered within two weeks.

Vape was being imported from China mainly through Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani crossings. But this time Korla Naka has also been used. Although there is a legal provision to import vape by paying revenue, the theft has not been stopped.

Customs evasion and concealment  Based on the information that vape was being imported into Nepal, the department had seized 86 thousand vape from a warehouse in Mahalakshmi Municipality Imadol of Lalitpur only a week ago. 19,000 vape in 95 cartons have been seized from Mustang by special surveillance of Revenue Investigation Department and subordinate offices and police. According to the department, 15,000 vape were seized from Pathalaiya and 4,000 from Butwal.

Revenue investigation department raided and seized the vape from a warehouse in Imadol and kept it in a truck  . Photo: Revenue Research Department   

On the 19th of last year, the vape seized at the Corolla checkpoint in Mustang was handed over to the revenue investigation by the police. According to Police Inspector Sagar Paudel of District Police Office Mustang, the vehicle was placed in the vehicle and seized from near the check post of Annapurna Conservation Area in Gharpazhong rural municipality-4 Jomsom. Mustang police handed over the vehicle to the driver for revenue investigation. 

The Imadol warehouse was raided based on the information received while investigating the vape found in a vehicle brought from Mustang by the revenue . The department recovered a large quantity of vape from there. The market value of vapes currently seized by the revenue alone is more than 25 crore rupees . The recovered vape is of different 'flavors'.