KARACH: The scam of misusing the Green Channel at Appraisement Port Qasim was once again proved on Wednesday when Pakistan Customs Preventive’s team raided a godown in Korangi Industrial area in Karachi and confiscated six containers filled with smuggled betel nuts which were cleared under the garb of scrap from Port Qasim.
Qamar Thallo, spokesperson for Pakistan Customs Preventive, told Customs Today that investigations have been broadened due to the possibility that smugglers might have cleared many other containers through green channel.
“More such raids and confiscation of betel nuts consignments will be conducted in coming days because price of betel nuts has taken hype and importers have reportedly smuggled many containers of betel nuts through Green Channel,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that 188 containers of betel nuts are stuck up at ports. Since legal import is stopped the goods are being smuggled. The importer namely M/s Jebel Ali dumped the containers in Korangi area where the raid took place.
Customs Appraisement South comprising Appraisement East, MCC Appraisement West and MCC Port Qasim have put all consignments coming from Jebel Ali on red channel after the confiscation in Korangi, a customs official revealed.
In the meantime, the customs officials involved in the scam of clearing the consignments become more active to save their skin including ADC Yaseen Murtaza and others.
According to sources, 14 containers were cleared through Green Channel of the said company from Port Qasim while only six have been confiscated as the confiscation was executed in Korangi area which is far from Port Qasim but some officials deputed at the port have spread the information that the raid and confiscation was done near the gates of Port Qasim on the directions and information of Port Qasim officials.
“The consignee has used Port Qasim for this fraud because on other ports officials have taken strict steps to prevent such smuggling but we are investigating about customs officials of Port Qasim and clearing agent who was involved in clearing the consignments,” Qamar Thallo further informed.
According to ASO officials, they have raided a godown in Korangi but did not stop containers near gates of Port Qasim. “Just wait for one more day, more information will come out about this racket,” the spokesperson concluded.
