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Heroin haul worth $13.75m seized in Karachi: Officials
Customs official says second biggest heroin seizure in the history of Pakistan.
Pakistan customs officials display seized heroin concealed inside tape and balloons to the media at a press conference in Karachi on May 11, 2012. Pakistan said on May 11 it had seized one of its largest ever hauls of heroin, impounding 125 kilograms (275 pounds) of the narcotic worth an estimated $13.75 million on the international market. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: Officials said on Friday that they had seized one of the largest ever hauls of heroin in Pakistan, impounding 125 kilograms of the narcotic worth an estimated $13.75 million on the international market.
The seizure is the largest since May last year when the authorities seized 375 kilograms of the drug.
The authorities examined a refrigerated container at Karachi port and found bags of heroin concealed by solution tape and balloons.
“All 5,400 bags were de-stuffed and thoroughly examined and we found 830 pouches each weighing between 145 grams to 155 grams. The total weight of heroin was 125 kilograms,” Babar Ali Shah, a customs official told reporters.
“We have arrested the clearing agent and one of his employees,” Shah said.
Officials said the heroin was smuggled from neighbouring Afghanistan through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
“This is the second biggest heroin seizure in the history of Pakistan,” another customs official Qamar Thalho said, putting the value of the stash at $0.55 million on the local market and $13.75 million on the international market.
He said the narcotic hidden in a container was booked for Malaysia.
Pakistan has more than four million drug addicts in a population of nearly 180 million, according to figures compiled by the ANF, which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting drug offences.
Opium poppy is grown on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Pakistan has a 2,500-kilometre porous border with Afghanistan, which supplies 90% of the world’s opium used to make heroin.
Reader Comments (17)
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Good job done by custom officials..!!
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This is what happens when you don’t pay “kharcha paani” to the custom officials and their lords.
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Tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper.
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Great job
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If they probe deeper, i m sure they’ll catch a big fish with strong political & bureaucratic connections!!!
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Great Job! Bravo. We are proud of you.
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Seizure of narcotics is only possible when precise information is leaked out from an insider.
While the seizing authorities needs a pat on the back, but at the same time the authorities should also keep in mind that there are always black sheep’s in any organization and there is a probability that the drugs seized may be sold in the open market to various drug dealers slowly and gradually and in small quantities.
The most important factor behind any seizure of drugs is to apprehend the owner(s) of the drugs.
The authorities should investigate the case in such a manner that the entire chain of people who were involved in packing and transportation of heroin should be arrested and prosecuted according to the law.
On the hand it is also necessary to investigate as who was the buyer of the heroin in Malaysia?
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Job well done!!!
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Anti Narcotic Force is always works with dedication , its nothing new , they work so hard to fight against Drugs
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Dang !!!! “rozee per last maree hai” of so many people …
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Good job… Pakistan Customs.
I wonder what the Anti Narcotics Force is doing.
Not so long ago when one of the generals under Zia-ul-Haq was proposing to officially trade narcotics to pay off Pakistan’s debt. The then NWFP’s Chief Minister Gen. Fazle Haq was also actively involved in narcotics. I doubt things have changed much with a network of NLC containers and the strategic depth in Afghanistan for the raw materials. There is the means, the motive, and the opportunity.
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@TruePakistan:
I think you have assessed the situation rightly. The dudes involved I don’t think paid the ‘kharcha pani’, and they decided to make an example of them, pathetic!
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Mexicans won’t be much pleased by this, btw Good job :)
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Something tells me the culprits were somehow sure they would get away with a consignment this big .. maybe in the past they have? maybe the assurers could’t buy everyone … who knows.
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Pakistan needs capital punishment laws for drug related crimes. Countries like Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Iran and others chop the necks of drug dealers as they deserve it because they are destroying our youth and our nation and this is not less than war on Pakistan, Afghanistan has declared war on Pakistan by sending this much heroin to Pakistan, they want to destroy our nation.
We are fools, our politicians are fools, we need very strict laws to hang drug dealers and drug peddlers.
Chop off a few necks and then see how the drug flow goes down.
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We feel Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa CM needs to explain how such a quantity slipped through n under their nose. Same time CM Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa should take this matter with Mr. Karzai government above all NATO (guardians of Afghanistan) after all NATO is not there to kill people but help Afghanistan to clean it’s domestic mess as well.
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Please make sure it has burnt properly
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