Delhi Police Bust Illegal Tobacco Supply Network, 10 Held With 551 Vapes and 1.02 Lakh Cigarettes

November 10, 2026

New Delhi: Delhi Police arrested 10 people including a wholesaler, two distributors and seven pan shop retailers during a raid against alleged illicit trade of tobacco goods in the national capital. During the operation, police recovered 551 banned e-cigarettes and vapes and 1,02,800 conventional cigarettes.

Police suspect that they were supplying tobacco goods to pan shops around Delhi. Some of the shops were reportedly located near schools, colleges and coaching centres such as in Mukherjee Nagar.

As part of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, police are investigating the supply chain of the alleged network and if it has links outside of Delhi. This includes links to Jaipur and Nepal.

Wholesaler, Distributors and Retailers Arrested

During the operation, police said they arrested 10 people who were allegedly involved in providing tobacco goods at different levels of the supply chain. They included one wholesaler, two distributors and seven pan shop retailers.

551 banned e-cigarettes and vapes were recovered, alongside 1,02,800 conventional cigarettes.

Police are investigating how they were supplied to the retail outlets. Mukherjee Nagar was one of the areas police are looking into after some of the pan shops allegedly received the products.

Possibly Linked to Jaipur and Nepal

Police are also looking into whether there are any links outside of the national capital.

They are looking into whether there are any links between states to Jaipur and internationally to Nepal. Police are investigating how the products are moving and what role the alleged wholesaler, distributor and retailers are playing. However, they are still trying to find out how big the network is and if they have any links outside of Delhi.

What Does The Law Say?

In India, the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act 2019 means that it is illegal to produce, manufacture, import, export, transport, sell, distribute, store or advertise electronic cigarettes. This includes e-cigarettes and vaping devices regardless if they contain nicotine.

Separately, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003 means that it is illegal to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions. This aims to reduce student access to tobacco products.

The operation was carried out as part of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the governments anti substance abuse campaign. Police are continuing to investigate to find out where the seized products came from and if there are any links outside of Delhi.