New Delhi (PTI): Smuggling is rampant and the enormity of the issue can be gauged from the fact that DRI seizes more than Rs 1,000 crore of contraband every month, a top official said.

For DRI every day is an Anti-Smuggling Day, said Mohan Kumar Singh, Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), while addressing at Ficci CASCADE 'Anti-Smuggling Day' here.

"Today, smugglers are using sophisticated methods
 and technologies to smuggle goods across international borders. This kind of illicit trade in terms of counterfeiting and smuggling is a global risk that has negative impacts on economic activities, deprives governments of revenue, forces a high burden on taxpayers, exposes customers to dangerous products and provides linkages to terrorism," he said.

Think tanks like Ficci CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) can play an important role in generating fresh ideas, creating awareness and highlighting the problems of smuggling and counterfeiting, he added.

Over the years, Ficci CASCADE has been working on creating awareness on tackling the grave problem of smuggling and launched Anti-Smuggling Day in 2022 as a global first.

The objective of declaring an Anti-Smuggling Day was to highlight the issue amongst consumers and how smuggling is impacting nation-building, enhance coordination and cooperation between law enforcement agencies, facilitate better exchange of information and experiences and build a strong network to find innovative solutions to combat the menace of smuggling, Ficci said in a statement.

Speaking on the ocassion, World Customs Organisation (WCO) Director, Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, P K Das said, "As per UNCTAD smuggling drains 3 per cent of the world's economy and results in a loss of 2 trillion dollars.

To address smuggling, the WCO has unveiled a three-year strategic plan (2022-25) with a focus in the areas of illicit trade, he said, adding, WCO has also launched a data strategy to nurture and reengineer new processes, incorporate modern disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning, drone, robotics etc.

Highlighting the importance of sharing best practices to tackle smuggling, Das said, advanced analytics used by Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to detect fraud in indirect taxation domain in India was showcased to WCO members as part of disseminating best practices.

Ficci CASCADE chairman Anil Rajput said, "We pledged to leave no stone unturned in raising awareness and resolved to take concerted action against this multi-faceted adversary on this day."