Directorate of revenue intelligence
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The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is an Indian intelligence agency and was set up in 1953 as the Central Revenue Intelligence Bureau. The organisation was charged with the responsibility of developing intelligence on matters connected with anti-smuggling and anti-corruption in the Customs and Central Excise formations all over the country. In retrospect, one Assistant Commissioner and two Superintendents as then provided, was obviously too small a complement of staff. The work done by this small organisation, however, brought into sharp focus the urgent need and necessity for an exclusive organisation to deal with the menace of violation of fiscal laws. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence was thus formed in 1957 as a direct result of this. Even today, the organisation runs on skeleton staff even when compared to other intelligence agencies such as IB or state Police organisations. However, its track record with reference to the results made in terms of value and sensitivity outshines any other law enforcing agency. Though its early days were committed to combating smuggling in of gold, it has now tuned itself to the changing nature of crimes in the filed of narcotics and economic crimes.
WORK DONE BY DRI Includes
· Collection of intelligence about smuggling of contraband goods, narcotics, under-invoicing etc through sources of India and abroad, including secret sources.
· Analysis and dissemination of such intelligence to the field formations for action.
· Working out of intelligence by the Directorate officers themselves to a successful conclusion, where necessary.
· Keeping watch over important seizures and investigation cases.
· Associating or taking over the investigations which warrant specialised handling by the Directorate.
· Guiding important investigation/prosecution cases.
· Functioning as the liaison authority for exchange or information among ESCAP countries for combating international smuggling and customs frauds in terms of the recommendation of the ESCAP conference.
· Keeping liaison with foreign countries, Indian Missions and Enforcement agencies abroad on anti-smuggling matters.
· To keep liaison with C.B.I. and through them with the INTERPOL.
· To co-ordinate, direct and control anti-smuggling operations on the Indo-Nepal border.
· To refer cases registered under the Customs Act to the Income Tax Department for action under the Income Tax Act.
· To keep statistics of seizures and prices/rates etc. for watching trends of smuggling and supply required material to the ministry of Finance and other Ministries.
· To study and suggest remedies for loopholes in law and procedures to combat smuggling.
Over the period of years, it has combatted drug trafficking and economic crimes within India.
