KARACHI: The Anti-Smuggling Organisation (ASO) of the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi has confiscated smuggled goods worth Rs 1.3 billion during the ongoing month of September.
In its recent efforts to combat smuggling activities in the region, the ASO carried out a meticulously planned and well-coordinated anti-smuggling operation in the notorious Yousuf Goth area of Karachi.
The operation, which commenced late at night, involved collaboration with an intelligence agency and the Sindh Police.
Under the directives of Zeba Hai Azhar, Member Customs (Operations), FBR, the Enforcement Collectorate Karachi has been actively pursuing a policy of zero tolerance against smuggling, and the recent operation stands as a testament to their commitment.
The operation, despite facing formidable resistance from a mobilised crowd of smugglers and their associates, achieved a remarkable feat by successfully apprehending a substantial cache of smuggled and contraband commodities.
The seized goods include: Skimmed milk: 42 Metric tons, Whey powder: 9 Metric tons, Plastic Dana: 17 Metric tons, Zeera (Cumin): 0.45 Metric tons, Poppy seed: 1.2 Metric tons, Plastic shoppers: 15 Metric tons & Monosodium glutamate: 0.9 Metric tons.
The estimated value of the seized contraband is approximately Rs. 90 million.
The confiscated contraband commodities were promptly loaded onto 11 Mazda trucks and 3 containers and escorted to the ASO HQ/ Customs Warehouse for further legal actions.
An FIR has been lodged under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, and investigations into the matter have been initiated.
This major anti-smuggling operation is just one in a series of successful seizures made by the Enforcement Collectorate Karachi in recent times.
On September 2, 2023, the Collectorate seized six oil containers containing a staggering 145,000 litres of Iranian diesel, disrupting oil smuggling activities well before the ongoing anti-smuggling campaign.
The Collectorate further confiscated two containers cleared from the Port, laden with high-value smuggled goods valued at approximately Rs. 180 million. Additionally, another port container, loaded with smuggled goods worth Rs. 30 million, was successfully intercepted.
In the month of September alone, the Enforcement Collectorate has made seizures of smuggled goods with an estimated market value of a staggering Rs. 1.3 billion, firmly establishing itself as a formidable force in the fight against smuggling.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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