Supari maker booked for betel nut smuggling

Documents provided by Sweet Supari fake and did not match the betel nut seized in the raid

KARACHI:

Pakistan Customs Enforcement Collectorate has registered a case against Bombay Sweet Supari for allegedly using smuggled betel nuts in manufacturing its sweet supari.

Customs sources told The Express Tribune that the anti-trafficking department of the Customs Enforcement Collectorate raided the Bombay Sweet Supari factory in Hussainabad 10 days ago on the instructions of Collector Usman Bajwa and seized 39,000 kilogrammes of smuggled betel nut and 270 cartons of prepared sweet supari. According to the FIR filed by the Customs Enforcement Collectorate, the management of the Bombay Sweet Supari was served notice to submit import documents as proof that the betel nut consignment was not smuggled.

However the documents that the Bombay Sweet Supari provided, turned out to be fake and did not match the betel nut seized in the raid.

Sources said that customs officials on Friday registered a case against Bombay Sweets Supari for allegedly providing unsatisfactory import documents and started an investigation while teams have been formed to arrest the official of the company.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2023.