LAHORE: Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) has seized smuggled goods and vehicles worth Rs1928.34 million during July, 2021 to September, 2021.
The ASO of Collectorate of Customs Enforcement on the directions of Basit Maqsood Abbasi, Collector of Customs Enforcement, Lahore headed by Muteen Alam, Additional Collector, Faizan Badar, Deputy Collector, Ms. Sidra Naz, Assistant Collector, and team consisting of Faiz-ur-Rahman, Superintendent, and Shahid Bakhtair Bhatti, Mansoor Elahi, M Asghar Purewal, Muhammad Saleem Shaid, Hassan Mahmood, Abdul Ghaffar, Javaid Iqbal Butt, inspectors seized a huge quantity of smuggled / non-duty paid goods and vehicles during July, 2021 to September, 2021 worth Rs.1928.34 million.
Goods include cloth, tyres, cigarettes, dry fruits, medicines, cosmetics, etc. vehicles include, Toyota Land Cruiser (V8), Toyota Hilux Surf, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota Mark X, Toyota Vitz cars. Cases worth Rs1426 million were made during the corresponding period of last year (2020-21). An increase of 35% excess is as compared with the corresponding period of last year.
Earlier, the ASO and Customs I&I planned operations in four Districts Okara, Sahiwal, Kasur and Lahore simultaneously falling under the jurisdiction of the Collectorate and the Directorate. A joint team of the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement and Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation, Lahore was constituted and field operations were led by Hassan Fareed, Additional Director and Sidra Naz, Assistant Collector while the operations was carried out under personal supervision of Basit Maqsood Abbasi, Collector, Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Lahore and Saima Aftab, Director, Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation, Lahore. Some of the Containers with Smuggled goods fled back towards Baluchistan and two of them were apprehended by the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Multan.
The preliminary examination of the goods revealed that the detained trucks were of New Baluchistan goods Co owned by the notorious smuggler Nabi Bux, and comprised of miscellaneous goods like fabric, tyres, milk, rani juice, dry fruits, welding electrodes etc. The estimated value of the goods is approx. Rs. 400 million.
During the first quarter of the financial year 2021-22, in pursuance of various anti-smuggling operations on roads and dumping and storage places inside and outside city limits of Lahore the Collectorate of Enforcement and Directorate of I&I, Lahore made 141 seizures of miscellaneous goods like POL products, cloth, cigarettes, auto parts, fabrics, betel nuts, skimmed milk, welding rods, tyres, luxury vehicles and electronics. The net value of seized goods during first quarter of 2020-21 was Rs.3800 million which is way higher than the value of seized goods in first quarter of 2020-21. This success is attributed to an improved strategy for counter smuggling and enforcement.
The real contribution of the counter smuggling drive is increasing the cost of smuggling and creating deterrence for the smugglers while enhancing the potential revenue from legal trade. The Customs has taken bull by the horns and taken robust steps in dealing with the biggest smuggling rackets of the country creating a significant dent to the smuggling and trade in smuggled goods.
