LAHORE: The Directorate of Customs Investigation and Intelligence disclosed that smuggled goods over Rs856 million have been recovered of which cosmetics amounting to PKR 60 million have been found expired which were to be dumped into the market after replacing the expiry tags.
Director-General Faiz Ahmad Chadhar in a press briefing explained how tactfully the Customs I&I team consisting of Additional Collecor Rizwan Bashir and Deputy Collector Ali Asad led by director Saima Shahzad made the historical seizure.
The Director General (I&I) Customs Faiz Ahmad Chadhar has said that Chairman FBR, Mr. Asim Ahmad stressed the need to beef up country wide operations against smuggling and smuggled goods at the Directors’ Quarterly Conference convened in the headquarters office of the Directorate General Intelligence & Investigation, Islamabad on 5.10.2022.
He said that the directorate was devised an anti-smuggling policy aligned with parameters of transparency and zero tolerance for smuggling.
He said that the Lahore Range office of the Directorate General has accordingly aligned it’s available (albeit scarce resources) to achieve better results against smuggling.
Accordingly, the Director (I&I), Lahore, Ms. Saima Shahzad, constituted a team under the supervision of Additional Director (ASO), Ch. Rizwan Bashir Kalair, to analyze a tip-off regarding a hideout place of smuggled goods inside a private school premises. After proper surveillance, a team comprising of officers/officials of the Directorate including Deputy Director (ASO), Ali Asad and Superintendent (ASO), Rai Waqar and led by Additional Director (ASO), Rizwan Bashir raided the godown on 18.10.2022 at 1800 hours, after obtaining proper search warrants u/s 162 of the CA, 1969. This has led to a huge recovery of F/O miscellaneous smuggled goods comprising fabric, shoes, cosmetics, tools, furniture, toys, fixtures, crockery and electronics.
The detailed inventory of the smuggled goods recovered from the godown is given below in the table having total worth of approximately PKR 856 million, out of which cosmetics amounting to PKR 60 million have been found expired, which were planned to be sold after changing the tags of expiry. The material for removal of expiry dates and their substitution with new dates was also found in the premises.
The DG said that the aforementioned seizure is the biggest case in the history of Directorate (I&I) Customs, Lahore because of its high value.
