LAHORE: Directorate General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation has impounded over Rs 33 million mobile phones (mostly Q Mobile) and their accessories.
On information Director Rubab Sikandar lead the crackdown in Lahore in anti-smuggling campaign. This is the fourth incident wherein another approximately 20,000 smuggled mobile phones (Q Mobile) have been seized.
It may be recalled that MCC Preventive Karachi caught a container of mobile phones imported by M/s Digicom declared as LED lights and recovered over 60,000 Q Mobile phones. Subsequently Directorate of Customs Intelligence & Investigation Karachi recovered a huge quantity of smuggled Q Mobile phones owned by M/s Digicom and thereafter MCC Preventive Karachi made another seizure of smuggled mobile phones.
It was known that Director MCC Preventive Karachi Dr. Iftikhar along with Additional Collector Aamir Thiem, Deputy Collector Mohammad Faisal and ASO team are considering a campaign of raiding mobile malls and markets to recover smuggled goods.
Meanwhile, Director I&I Karachi Samina Wajid along with Additional Director Ali Zaman Gardezi, Deputy Collector Shah Faisal and their team have reportedly initiated information gathering to identify warehouses and shops housing smuggled goods.
For the last two and a half year, Green Channel facility has served the primary benefactor of unscrupulous elements as a flood of high-value high-tariff and even contrabands were cleared through green channel through mis-declaration causing a loss to the national exchequer.
Sources said smugglers were in a fix after authorities checked transshipment cargo replacement, transit trade pilferage and influx of smuggled goods through the border of Afghanistan.
However, ‘trade facilitation’ and green channel facility solved all their problems. Sources said a bonded carrier was managing the entire scam and a loss was inflicted on the national economy.
Sources said there were reports that consignments of liquor could be cleared through the Green Channel facility ahead of X-Max and new-year.
