Illegal clearance of pharma raw material: FIA indicts over 75 Karachi-based customs officers

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Lahore, has indicted over 75 Karachi-based customs officers for unlawful clearance of pharmaceutical raw material, which is allegedly being used in producing counterfeit medicines, it was learnt on Thursday.
According to sources, the issue surfaced when FIA Lahore on secret information raided an unregistered pharmaceutical factory located at Ghari Shah, Lahore. The factory was found involved in manufacturing of medicines without any license and that too under unhygienic conditions.
Moreover, the sources said that the said pharmaceutical unit had failed to produce purchase records of its raw material stocked in the premises that proved its involvement in illegal import of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The sources further said that the FIA team had seized huge quantity of different types of finished drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, machinery, articles, etc from the premises. The recovery included oxfendazole, injection oxyline, oxytetracycline, injection maloxyfas and maloxicam.
They said that the samples of different finished drugs being manufactured in the factory had been sent for lab tests. Replying to a question, the sources quoting FIA Lahore officials said that the customs officers had wittingly cleared the pharmaceutical raw material, which was allegedly used in manufacturing counterfeit medicines. Therefore, over 75 Karachi-based customs officers had been summoned to appear before FIA investigation team to clarify their positions.
Furthermore, the sources confirmed that the FIA Lahore in the summon letters alleged the customs officers of their involvement in illegal and unlawful clearance of pharmaceutical raw material, as the consignments were cleared without getting prior permission from the officer of federal drug department, which was mandatory requirement under rule 15 of the Drug Imports and Exports Rule 1976.
The sources said that customs officers, who had been summoned by the FIA Lahore, were serving in the department as Principal Appraisers, Assessment Officer and Examination Officers. The sources said that these customs officers had received third and last summon letters and if they did not join the investigation, the FIA Lahore would have no option but to include their names in its challan to be presented in court for further legal proceedings.