Customs seizes smuggled products worth over Rs2.25bn

Islamabad: Pakistan Customs has seized essential commodities worth Rs. 2.25 billion in various operations across the country over the past 15 days.

According to sources, Pakistan Customs has stepped up its anti-smuggling efforts and begun a crackdown on smuggled goods, particularly necessities, POL, money, and other items.

Essential commodities including sugar and urea are smuggled from Pakistan and goods including POL are smuggled into Pakistan through unfrequented routes spanning the bordering areas of Afghanistan and Iran.

These smuggled goods are subsequently transported via trucks and in the case of passenger vehicles in smaller quantities to the main urban centers.

Furthermore, Large amounts of necessities valued at almost Rs. 2.25 billion have been confiscated by Pakistan Customs over the past two weeks in various operations across the nation, including the regions of Quetta, D.I. Khan, Multan, Karachi, Sargodha, and Lahore. Aside from tyres, black tea, betel nuts, cars, iron, steel, and other items, the main critical commodities that were seized were sugar, urea, POL, local money, and other items like sugar, urea, and urea.

In the Balochistan region, on September 2, Customs Enforcement-Quetta seized 1,637 tons of sugar worth approximately Rs. 1 billion from smugglers in a convoy of 15 trucks.

This was followed by a massive seizure of smuggled goods and vehicles, worth Rs. 519 million on Daraban-Darazinda Road D.I. Khan on September 3 in collaboration with local police and 218,000 liters of smuggled POL/ diesel, valued at approximately Rs. 137.6 million by Customs Enforcement-D.I. Khan.