LAHORE: Collector of Customs Enforcement Basit Maqsood Abbasi has claimed that smugglers have stopped carrying goods in containers to the city of Lahore due to strict vigilance as well as deterrence like lodging of criminal cases under the Anti Terrorism Act and Anti-Money Laundering law.

Talking exclusively to Business Recorder, he said registration of cases under section 7 of ATA against smugglers and traders in Misri Shah and other wholesale markets besides incorporation of the clauses of anti-money laundering law to the First Investigation Reports (FIRs) to confiscate undeclared immoveable properties of smugglers have proven effective to a large extent.

As many as five FIRs have been lodged under the anti-money laundering law against leading smugglers so far. However, no major breakthrough could take place so far, as smugglers prefer to transfer their earnings to Dubai in the shape of foreign exchange instead of investing in the real estate sector, he said.

According to the Collector, smugglers are carrying smuggled goods in Mazda trucks that too in small quantities. He said the value of containers runs into millions of rupees against Mazda trucks, which could carry goods worth a few hundred thousand only. "If a container carries Rs50 million smuggled goods, the capacity of Mazda trucks is only Rs5 million," he said, adding: "Therefore, the volume of legal trade has increased to meet the market demand."

It may be noted that both the Enforcement and Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation, Lahore, had jointly seized 10 containers of smuggled items worth Rs400 million a month back. The detained trucks belonged to New Baluchistan goods co-owned by the notorious smuggler Nabi Bux. The other most notorious smuggler is Haji Sadiq.

Meanwhile, reliable sources from the Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation told this scribe that these notorious smugglers have changed their modus operandi as they dump their containers in the cities adjacent to Lahore and shift them to Mazda trucks for the wholesale markets in the city of Lahore supplying goods to the rest of the province.

In some cases, they said, the rackets of smuggles were also found shifting the smuggled goods from containers to small trucks at roadsides in small and far flung areas. The field staff of Customs Preventive has seized a few such Mazda trucks recently, they added.

However, they have agreed that a strong vigilance has reduced the entry of Mazda trucks to the city as well which has reduced to one or two from earlier 10 a day.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021