Smuggling bid foiled: DG Customs Intelligence seizes Afghan transit goods

Directorate General of Customs Intelligence & Investigation, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), has foiled a major attempt to smuggle Afghan transit goods including cloth, tyres and electronic goods worth millions of rupees from Peshawar to Lahore through Motorway and seized trucks, loaded with cloth and other miscellaneous goods.
According to the details of the seizure issued by the agency here on Monday, the agency intensified its efforts to check smuggling of Afghan transit goods. The checking of movement of Afghan transit goods has been given priority by the customs intelligence to check the misuse of the Afghan Transit Trade agreement. In this connection, information-based intelligence and effective checking on motorways has been done to control smuggling of Afghan transit goods. The anti-smuggling operation was a joint effort of the Customs Intelligence & Investigation, Islamabad and Model Customs Collectorate, Islamabad.
On receipt of information that smugglers will try to smuggle huge quantity of foreign origin cloth and other miscellaneous goods in vehicle numbers P-8475. P-9514, C-2177, LOK-6973 and LYM-2288 to Lahore through Motorway, the Customs Intelligence, Islamabad and Customs dispatched anti-smuggling squads, to apprehend the smugglers and seize the goods. The smugglers travelling inside the trucks alongwith six escort vehicles, were armed with heavy weapons and initially put up strong resistance to Customs but seeing reinforcement from the Customs intelligence, Islamabad and the local Police, they retreated from the scene leaving behind five trucks full of smuggled goods. Examination of the trucks revealed that the seized goods were stamped with "in transit to Afghanistan" seals. The seized goods consist of approximately 225,000 yards of Arts Silk cloth, 630 new/old & used TVs 32 split Air-conditioners, 210 old and used tyres, and cosmetics, all goods valuing approximately Rs 42 million. The value of the five vehicles is approximately Rs 6 million. One smuggler has been arrested and efforts are underway to apprehend the others. Related investigations are in progress to identify and apprehend the actual smugglers involved in this phenomenon.