FAISALABAD: The Customs Anti-Smuggling Organisation (ASO) has seized smuggled tamarind (imli), trailer worth Rs 6.78 million involving duty and taxes amounting to Rs 267,908.
Following the instructions of Faisalabad Customs Collector Zulfiqar Ali Chaudhary, the ASO team including Superintendent Saeed Akhtar Joiya, Inspector Khalid Ashraf Noor, Ali Zahid, Sepoy Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Yasin, Afzal Hussain and others took action and foiled the smuggling bid.
As per the details, the ASO team stopped a trailer bearing Registration No TLZ-980 near Truck Stand, Jhang Road when it entered into Faisalabad from Jhang city and recovered 500 bags of tamarind weighing 2500 kilogram without any mark and number upon the bags as of Iran origin.
On asking about the import documents, the truck driver named Muhammad Yasin son of Manzoor Ahmad disclosed that the loaded tamarind was loaded from a private godown and were off load at a goods transport building named Aslam and Co, Faisalabad. He further revealed that actual owner of tamarind and vehicle was Muhammad Azam, owner of M/s Pak Justice Good Transport.
Taking legal action, the customs officials seized the tamarind considering it smuggled one and impounded the trailer under Section 16, 18, and 157 of the Customs Act, 1969, Section 3 of Sales Tax Act 1990, Section 148 of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 read with Section 3 (1) 3 of Import And Export Control Act 1950, punishable under Section 156(1)90 of the Customs Act, 1969 red with SRO 499(1)/2009.