Directorate Intelligence and Investigation (DI&I), Customs Karachi has foiled an attempt to smuggle myriad quantity of liquor in the grab of diplomatic cargos. According to the details, the Directorate on a tip-off blocked a number of consignments in March, 2019 imported by the embassies of Indonesia, Syria, Algeria and Lebanon, which were cleared from Model Customs Collectorates (MCC) concerned. Accordingly, the Directorate has also requested its headquarter to approach the ministry of foreign affairs for nominating its representative to conduct joint examinations of the consignments imported by the said embassies.
As the ministry nominated its representative in this regard, the Directorate has conducted joint examination of the consignment imported by Indonesian embassy, which led the recovery of 1080 bottles of whisky. However, the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic Islamabad disowned two consignments imported under diplomatic cargos. Furthermore, both consignments, which were declared as food stuff and cleared from MCC Appraisement (West) Karachi, have been blocked and the Directorate later, recovered around 2,268 bottles of whisky from the said consignments during examination.
Consequent upon recovery, the recovered contraband liquor was seized and the case has been registered. Further investigation is in progress. Meanwhile, Irfan Javeed Director DI&I, Customs, Karachi said the incident report had been forwarded to the ministry of foreign affairs with the request to carry out joint examination of remaining consignments belonging to the embassies of Lebanon and Algeria as identical mis-declaration was also suspected therein. He said that the Directorate was dealing this major trend of smuggling of liquor through embassies with iron hand and taking stiff measures to avert such attempts in future.
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