A total of 510 kg of banned tobacco products seized by law enforcement agencies in Erode district were destroyed on Thursday at the Vendipalayam dumping yard under the supervision of officials from various departments.

According to a press release, the destroyed stock comprised 488 kg of banned tobacco products seized by the Police and the Food Safety and Drug Administration departments between January 2026 and June 2026, along with 22 kg handed over by the Railway Police. The destruction was carried out following directions from the District Collector as part of ongoing efforts to curb the sale of prohibited tobacco products such as gutka and pan masala.

Joint enforcement drives involving the Police, Food Safety, Local Administration, Public Health and Revenue departments have been conducted across the district, and action was taken against establishments found violating the ban. Officials said the seized products were rendered unusable and buried in a pit about 10 feet deep.

District Designated Officer K. Varalakshmi, Food Safety Officers S. Kesavaraj, C. Selvan and M. Muthukrishnan, District Tobacco Control Consultant K. Kalaichelvi, Sanitary Inspector Gokul, Village Administrative Officer P. Saravanan and Modakkurichi Police Inspector V. Ravikumar were among those present during the process.