KARACHI: In a major crackdown on smuggling activities, the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi have seized a massive quantity of smuggled goods, including diesel oil and betel nuts, worth millions of rupees.

Acting on credible information, the Anti-Smuggling Organisation (ASO) of the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Karachi, intercepted two vehicles on the intervening night of 8th/9th May 2024 at the Customs Hamdard Choke Point on the Northern Bypass.

The vehicles, a dumper Hino truck bearing registration number TAR-606 and a Mazda truck with registration SDA 703, were found with 5,000-kg of betel nuts and 5,500 litres of Iranian diesel oil. The total value of the seized goods is estimated to be Rs22.5 million.

The seizure was made under the directions of Basit Maqsood Abbasi, Collector of Customs Enforcement, Karachi, who has intensified efforts to curb the menace of smuggling in the region, said spokesman S.M Irfan.

"We have taken all possible steps to curb the illicit movement of smuggled goods coming from Balochistan to Karachi and going out of Karachi to other parts of the country," he said.

In the last one week alone, the Collectorate has seized smuggled goods worth PKR 45 million, including 5,700 kg of betel nuts, 25,000 litres of Iranian petrol and diesel, and various electronic goods. Additionally, 17 non-customs paid vehicles worth PKR 64 million have been confiscated, bringing the total value of seized goods to PKR 131.5 million.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024