Latest news with #CollectorateofCustomsEnforcementKarachi
Business Recorder
7 days ago
- Business Recorder
Smuggled goods worth Rs41m seized at Mauripur Road
KARACHI: The Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) of Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi has seized smuggled goods worth Rs 41 million during an operation on Mauripur Road. According to the details, ASO Karachi on a tip-off intercepted a trailer with registration number TKZ 091 and confiscated various smuggled items that were being transported. The confiscated goods included 5,620 packets of foreign cigarettes, 405 kilograms of betel nuts (chalia), 15,270 kilograms of skimmed milk powder (Iranian-made dried milk), and 1,864 kilograms of foreign fabric. The total value of the seized goods and trailer amounts to Rs 41 million. The confiscated items and trailer have been transferred to the ASO warehouse for further processing. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
09-07-2025
- Business Recorder
Smuggled goods seized in raid at Yusuf Goth Terminal
KARACHI: The Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) of the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi on Tuesday seized a substantial quantity of smuggled foreign goods worth millions during a raid at Yusuf Goth Terminal. According to the details, the raid, which was conducted with the assistance of the Sachal Rangers 91 Wing, targeted multiple warehouses established at the Yusuf Goth bus terminal, resulting in the recovery of a large quantity of illegally imported goods. The ASO successfully confiscated various categories of smuggled items during the operation, including Iranian skimmed milk powder, Ajinomoto Chinese salt, foreign textiles, Iranian tiles, crockery, and auto spare parts. All seized items have been taken into custody for further legal proceedings. A case has been registered, and further investigation is in progress. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
03-05-2025
- Business Recorder
Illegal shipment of 14,000 kgs of donkey hides intercepted
KARACHI: The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi has intercepted an illegal shipment of 14,000 kilograms of donkey hides valued at approximately Rs 80 million, which was being smuggled to China under the guise of leather goods. Acting on intelligence from their Risk Management Profiling System, customs officials at the South Asia Pakistan Port Terminal (SAPT) flagged a suspicious container (SEGU-3154225) that had already been cleared through the green channel by the Collectorate of Customs Export. The container, which had received loading approval, was declared to contain 285 packages of leather products being exported to China. Upon thorough inspection by the Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) team, officials discovered 14,000 kilograms of donkey hides concealed among the declared goods. The export of donkey hides is prohibited under Pakistan's export policy regulations. The seized contraband has been transferred to the ASO warehouse, and authorities have registered a case against the exporter under relevant sections of the Customs Act. Further investigations are underway. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
22-03-2025
- Express Tribune
Customs seizes Indian-origin highly addictive drug
Listen to article Pakistani authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle Indian-origin highly addictive drug, Tramadol, to Sierra Leone under the guise of towel export through its seaport, the second such seizure in a month that underscores the presence of a cross-border smuggling network. The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi thwarted a major attempt to smuggle 5.6 million Tramadol Hydrochloride tablets on Saturday last week, according to the Customs authorities. Tramadol is regulated under the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) rules and is a controlled psychotropic drug in many countries. The value of the confiscated consignment is estimated at Rs2.8 billion, which was first smuggled from India, the Customs authorities said. It was the second seizure related to Tramadol of Indian origin. Last month, Pakistan Customs seized 21.8 million tablets and 7,000 capsules of unregistered Tramadol. The total value of last month's seizure was Rs10 billion. The Customs authorities said that the exporter tried to smuggle the drug to Sierra Leone by falsely declaring it as "towels", destined for Freetown, Sierra Leone. Documents for the consignment had been filed with the Exports Collectorate, Karachi by Ahmad Trading and it was initially cleared through the Risk Management System under the green channel, they added. The First Information Report (FIR) has also been lodged against the exporter and clearing agents for violating the Customs Act and the Import and Export Control Act 1950. The drug is mostly used in Africa and the Middle East and there have been incidents where a Pakistani route has been used to smuggle it. The Customs authorities said that based on credible risk profiling, the Tramadol consignment was flagged and held for further scrutiny when it arrived at the Qasim International Container Terminal for loading on a vessel. The container was subjected to scanning followed by a 100% physical examination. The detailed examination led to the recovery of 5.6 million Tramadol tablets, along with biscuits, with no declared goods found in the container, according to the seizure report. The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement is trying to dismantle the network involved in the illegal trade of unregistered and hazardous pharmaceuticals. The clearing agent filed the goods declaration (GD) form on March 9 in the WeBOC system, declaring 170 cartons of towels worth $7,930. Based on the exporter's profile, the Risk Management System marked the GD for the green channel and allowed the container to be loaded without examination on the same date. Most of the country's trade takes place through the green channel, which is not subject to examination. However, upon receiving intelligence regarding mis-declaration, the container was withheld for examination. The Customs authorities opened the container and found cartons of biscuit brands "Café" and "A-I Special" in front, said the officials. They also found a significant quantity of undeclared cartons of Tramadol Hydrochloride tablets at the back of the container. The authorities said that neither the consignor nor the clearing agent had declared the recovered biscuits or drugs. This discovery confirmed the misuse of green channel by Ahmad Trading and Speed Line (Private) Limited, who falsely declared towels instead of Tramadol Hydrochloride, according to the FIR registered by the Customs. The authorities served notices on both the exporter and clearing agents, directing them to provide legal documentation to prove lawful possession and justify the attempted export of drugs under false declaration. But they did not appear before the Customs and subsequently the goods were seized and an FIR was registered.
Express Tribune
26-02-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Rs10b smuggled Indian drug haul seized
Pakistani authorities have seized a huge quantity of smuggled Indian-origin Tramadol, a highly addictive drug, worth Rs10 billion, suspecting the involvement of a cross-border smuggling network. The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi seized the smuggled high-dosage drug, according to the Customs officials who are privy to the details of the operation that was carried out on February 20th. Tramadol is regulated by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and is a high dosage highly addictive opioid, the laboratory report has confirmed. The drug can be bought in Pakistan on doctoAr's prescription. But two weeks ago, the DRAP had considered a proposal to declare it as a "controlled substance" under the Control of Narcotics Substance Act of 1997 to limit its use as an opioid addictive drug. The Pakistan Customs has declared the seizure as one of the largest pharmaceutical operations in which it recovered 21.8 million tablets and 7,000 capsules of unregistered Tramadol. The Custom officials said that it could be the largest ever seizure in South Asia. The recovered quantity requires a large container for transportation. Last year, the Mumbai Customs seized 6.8 million tablets worth Indian Rs1.1 billion. The opioid is not widely used in Pakistan and its major markets are in the Middle East and Africa. However, the authorities have apprehensions that the drug can be used by anti-state elements as its consumers can stay awake for hours. The Customs officials said that the estimated market value of the drugs is Rs10 billion. Collector Customs Moinuddin Ahmad Wani's team conducted the operation on February 20th in Karachi. The preliminary investigations revealed that some of the smuggled drugs were also mis-declared as vaccines. The Customs officials found some packaging material from the raid site, carrying the mark of 'Expanded Programme on Immunisation'. The authorities suspected that some of the drugs might have been smuggled under the garb of the vaccine immunisation programme due to the possibility of the involvement of the clearing agents. The seized drugs were packed in cartons, many of which bore markings indicating their origin from India. A detailed examination revealed multiple high-dosage variants of Tramadol, including Tamral, Royal, TramaKing Yellow 225mg, TramaKing Black 225mg and 250mg, and New Tramadol. The absence of DRAP registration numbers on the seized products suggests that they were either illegally imported or locally manufactured using smuggled active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIS), according to the authorities. An FIR has been lodged, and legal proceedings have been initiated against those involved in the smuggling of the seized drugs. The Customs has so far traced a chemist and a pharmaceutical company that might have been part of the cross-border smuggling network. The goods have been taken into custody under Section 168 of the Customs Act, 1969, and a notice under Section 171 has been issued. Additionally, the warehouse guard was apprehended during the raid, and further arrests are expected as the investigation continues, said the authorities. The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement said that it dismantled the network involved in the illegal trade of unregistered and hazardous pharmaceuticals. The raid had been conducted on an abandoned warehouse in the Korangi Industrial Area during the night of February 20th and 21st. The officials said that the samples of the seized consignment were sent to the Central Drug Laboratory (CDL) for testing, which confirmed the presence of the API, Tramadol Hydrochloride. The development also came on the heels of busting a smuggling network by an intelligence agency a few weeks ago, which comprised 78 Customs officials and smugglers involved in the smuggling of non-customs paid goods from Quetta to Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
