DHAKA: Bangladesh Customs has foiled 485 attempts of smuggling gold bars, totaling 135 pounds (61kg) worth nearly $4 million at Chittagong Port.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG048 from Dubai via the Bangladeshi port of Chittagong which landed in the capital, Dhaka. Except for the fact that it arrived two hours ahead of schedule and that it carried a secret cargo
The seizure was the latest in a string of illegal gold shipments intercepted by police and customs at Bangladesh’s airports. Authorities say that gold smuggling has spiked over the past two years — and that officials from Biman Bangladesh, the country’s national carrier are often involved.
Eleven local and international syndicates are said to be trafficking the precious metal from Middle Eastern countries into Bangladesh, much of which is later channeled overland to neighboring India, one of the world’s top gold importers.
