Customs seizes smuggled goods

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Customs' Indus Enforcement has seized smuggled acetate tow and tobacco worth Rs680 million from a clandestine dumping site in Kalabagh following a tip-off.

According to a customs spokesperson, the seizure is the largest operation in the history of the collectorate. The recovered goods included 45 bundles of acetate tow weighing 10,000 kilogrammes and 50 to 60 parcels containing 1,400 kilogrammes of tobacco.

The seized goods have been taken into custody, and legal proceedings have been initiated.

The spokesperson said the operation also exposed a new modus operandi adopted by smugglers to evade customs checks. In response to strict surveillance and screening at the Digital Enforcement Station, smugglers had established a secret dumping site in the vicinity of the Customs Enforcement Station.

The site was being used to temporarily stockpile smuggled goods, which were subsequently transported in small consignments to avoid check and action.