Customs officials at the Coimbatore airport today seized 200 cartons of foreign cigarettes from a passenger who arrived from Sharjah on Air Arabia flight.

54-year-old Yusuf, a native of Ernakulam, Kerala, arrived at Coimbatore airport at around 4.30 AM. During routine checks, the officials noticed the cartons of cigarettes.

Since there were no valid documents to show that duties were paid for the cigarettes, the department confiscated the goods, worth Rs.6 lakhs in the Indian market, and imposed a penalty of Rs.40,000 on Yusuf.