Silk Group chair among 12 charged in multi-billion rupee vape smuggling case
Summary
Twelve individuals including Silk Group chairperson Ramesh Sherpa have been charged in a case involving the smuggling of over 316,000 Chinese electronic cigarettes, leading to significant revenue losses in Nepal.
Key Points
- The Department of Revenue Investigation filed a case against 12 people including Silk Group chairperson Ramesh Sherpa for large-scale illegal trade of Chinese vapes.
- Authorities seized 86,400 vapes from a Silk warehouse during a January raid.
- The smuggling involved nearly 100 shipping containers from China, bypassing government bans and health ministry restrictions.
- The group sold 39,000 vapes without bills, causing revenue losses estimated at Rs873 million, with fines and prison terms sought totaling around Rs1.74 billion.
