PESHAWAR: The staff of the Model Customs Collectorate Peshawar has taken into possession two trucks loaded with black tea on GT Road at Chamkani area of Peshawar on Sunday, customs officials told Customs Today.
The trucks bearing registration Nos: RIR-2375 Rawalpindi and PIR-5467 impounded with bags of Chinese tea were taken into possession by the Customs Mobile Squad posted at Chamkani area.
On Sunday morning when Customs Mobile was on a routine duty, two trucks, appearing from Ring Road, were intercepted by the Customs Police. The trucks were loaded with big bags. The drivers failed to produce any documentary proof of the import delivery for Punjab.
The customs staff arrested the drivers and an FIR was lodged against the accused smugglers according to the Customs Act-1969 for illegal possession of foreign origin black tea. It has been the third seizure of Chinese tea by Peshawar Customs during the last 10 days which is valued at millions of rupees.
Customs Inspector Abdur Rehman, talking with Customs Today, informed CT that further interrogation to trace the mafia involved in the smuggling of black tea from Peshawar to Punjab and Sindh is underway. In most of the cases, black and green teas are smuggled from China and Afghanistan.
