Aiming to engage with partner Customs organisations, DRI to hold RCEM

New Delhi, Dec 4 (IANS) Aiming to effectively engage with partner Customs organisations and International agencies like World Customs Organisation, INTERPOL for enforcement related issues, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is set to organise Regional Customs Enforcement Meeting (RCEM).

This year, 22 Customs administrations covering the Asia-Pacific region along with international organisations such as World Customs Organisation (WCO), Interpol, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Regional Intelligence Liaison Office - Asia Pacific (RILO AP) have been invited to the event.

DRI will be celebrating its 65th Founding Day on December 5-6. Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will inaugurate the two-day event along with the Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary.

DRI is the premier intelligence and enforcement agency on anti-smuggling matters under the aegis of Central Board of Indirect taxes & Customs (CBIC), Government of India. It came into existence on December 4, 1957. The DRI with its Headquarters at New Delhi has 12 zonal units, 35 regional units and 15 sub-regional units, with a working strength of about 800 officials.

Officials said that the current edition of 'Smuggling in India Report 2021-22' will be released by the Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister on this occasion. The report brings together the trends in the field of anti- smuggling and commercial fraud and DRI's performance and experience over the last financial year.

For more than six decades, DRI with its presence across India and abroad has been carrying out its mandate of preventing and detecting cases of smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, gold, diamonds, precious metals, wildlife items, cigarettes, arms, ammunitions & explosives, counterfeit currency notes, foreign currency, hazardous and environmentally sensitive materials, antiques, etc., and taking punitive action against the organised crime groups engaged therein. DRI is also engaged in unearthing commercial frauds and customs duty evasion.

DRI has also been at the forefront in international Customs collaboration under Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements signed with various countries, where thrust is on information exchange and learning from the best practices of other Customs administrations.