LAHORE: The Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) of Lahore Preventive has seized Rs 245 million non-customs paid goods, articles and vehicles from July to February, 15 financial year 2014-15.
According to details ASO Lahore Preventive registered 233 cases and seized contraband goods and non-customs paid items worth Rs 245 million during the period.
The major non customs paid items seized by the ASO included cloth, plastic products, auto-parts, iron& steel sheets, electronic goods, toiletries, generators, vehicles artificial leather, skimmed milk powder, cigarettes, fresh ginger etc. The ASO confiscated goods and articles under section 157 of the Customs Act, 1969.
The ASO held Rs 11 million vehicles and other contraband items in 12 cases during the month of July FY 2014-15.
The organization impounded three vehicles worth Rs 5 million in three cases while it seized contraband items worth Rs 11 million in 21 cases.
Similarly ASO registered 26 cases, seizing one vehicle and other items worth Rs 33 million in the month of September of financial year under review.
ASO confiscated goods and articles worth Rs 61 million in 12 cases during the month of October of the FY 2014-15 while during November; it held Rs 26 million illegal items in 24 cases.
The organization registered 15 cases and impounded vehicles and contraband goods worth Rs 11 million in December while it seized goods and articles worth Rs 18 million during the month of January FY 2014-15.
In the same way, ASO confiscated illegal goods and vehicles worth Rs 32 million in 6 cases while Lahore Preventive Traffic Airport registered 98 cases and seized illegal mobile phones, gold and other contraband items worth Rs 36 million.
The contraband goods and articles have been seized mostly on the information of Collector Customs Mukaram Jah Ansari, Additional Collector Customs Baleem, Deputy Collector Customs Shafiq ur Rehman.
The cases were conducted by deputy superintendents and inspectors including Saleem Akhtar, Ch Saleem, Sajad Bukahri, Arif Mayo, Shahid Bhatti, Aslam Iqbal and others under the supervision of ASO Superintendent Mumtaz Ajmal Mian.
Official sources said that illegal vehicles, goods and other items mostly cloth, oil, auto-parts, tiles, shampoos and electronics items were mostly smuggled to Lahore region from Afghanistan and Iran through Baluchistan and KPK.
Sources told Customs Today that the Collector Preventive Lahore issued strict instructions to overcome the evil of smuggling which is posing dire consequences to the national economy.
