LAHORE: Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation team impounded two thousand and five hundred crates of non duty paid foreign origin appleas from Badami Bagh Fruit Mandi.
Sources told Customs Today that Director Customs Intelligence Rubab Sikandar received credible information about some smuggling attempts. She constituted a team under the supervision of Deputy Director Usman Tariq. The team comprising Intelligence Officer Zulfiqar Ali Dogar, Hamid Babar, Sohail Murtaza and Fida Hussain. The customs team established a check post on G.T. Road near Shahdara and started checking of vehicles. During checking customs team intercepted three Mazda trucks which were loaded with non customs paid Iranian origin apples.
The drivers of the vehicles failed to provide any relevant legal documents after which customs team seized two thousand and five hundred crates of Iranian origin apples and shifted the same to State Warehouse.
During initial investigations driver revealed that these apples were send by one Haji Fazal Elahi to Haji Sabir who is also doing a business of fruits. They told that these apples were being smuggled from Iran through Chaman border and then via Dera Ismail Khan they brought the same to Lahore.
Customs sources told that the impounded apples will be auctioned on priority to avoid further loss, because delay in auction will create problems.
It is necessary to mention here that Director Rubab Sikandar directed all anti smuggling squads to adopt zero tolerance policy towards smuggling. She directed to use all available resources to curb smuggling attempts in the region.
