In a major crackdown against illegal trade, the customs officials have seized smuggled goods worth millions of rupees from Peshawar and Sargodha.
In Peshawar, Customs Enforcement seized a large consignment of contraband items worth Rs 50 million and the vehicle used to transport it; the collective value of the seized goods turned out to be Rs 70 million. The items were intercepted at Nizampur, Pindi Road Checkpost, when Kohat Customs Division chased a suspicious Hino truck. The seized goods included 15,000 foreign-made cigarettes, 2,200 kg betel nuts, 1,000 packets of gutka and 1,200 hookah packets, all non-duty-paid. The driver was found unable to present any import document of the aforementioned goods, and seizure was made on the spot. The operation was led by Assistant Commissioner Customs Omer Jan, who was assisted by Inspectors Asif Nisar and Waqar Ahmad.
Smuggling attempts at Sargodha were also foiled by Customs Enforcement teams, which seized a non-duty-paid Toyota Prius from Motorway M-14 and raided a warehouse in Dajal, District Bhakkar, recovering foreign-origin cigarettes valuing at approximately Rs 10 million.
Sahiwal’s ASO also impounded a vehicle transporting 48,000 litres of industrial solvent that was incorrectly declared in the shipment documents as only 24,000 litres. Besides this, other Faisalabad enforcement teams seized different consignments of foreign-made cigarettes, Chinese salt, skimmed milk powder, glutamine powder, and various other smuggled items.
Smuggling of these commodities has been considered part of organized smuggling networks that not only causes revenue loss to the government but also destabilizes the markets. The FBR has reiterated its resolve for continued enforcement action against smuggling in the country.
