Contraband: ANF seizes 64kg of heroin from Briton

25-year-old woman was heading for the UK when taken into custody.

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Sunday recovered over 60kg of heroin at the Benazir International Airport from a British national’s luggage who was about to leave for the UK.

Khadija Shah, 25, from Peshawar, was found carrying heroin in three bags during a search by a lady constable. The constable, Sajida Bibi, discovered 123 packets of heroin with a cumulative weight of 64kg.

Khadija, who is a British national and a divorcee, intended to board flight PK-791 heading for Birmingham with her two children, 3-year-old Ali Shah and 4-year-old Ibrahim Shah.

She has been taken into custody by ANF officials for further investigation.

Talking to the media at the airport, ANF Rawalpindi Commander Brigadier Faheem Ahmed said the investigators suspected the woman was not alone in trying to smuggle the massive quantity of narcotics. Two other men have been taken into custody following a tip-off by Khadija, he added.

The ANF Commander informed that her passport along with an amount Rs1,000 in her custody had been confiscated.

Khadija Shah came to Pakistan six weeks ago from the UK. She was staying at a private hotel in Islamabad.

ANF officials estimate the price of the seized heroin in the international market to be around Rs40 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2012.