MULTAN: Collectorate of Customs Enforcement & Compliance (E&C) Multan has showed outstanding performance in the first quarter of the on-going economic year 2021-22 by seized smuggled goods of almost Rs1300 million.
Collector Imran Ahmad Chaudhry briefed media during press Conference along with Additional Collector Chaudhry Muhammad Safique, Deputy Collector Rehan Ahmad, Assistant Collector Tanvir Ahmad, Assistant Collector Hafiza Aqsa Aslam, Assistant Collector Fareed ud Din Masood and others.
The Collector informed that Anti-Smuggling Organization has taken action on the directives of Chairman FBR & Member (Customs Operations), Federal Board of Revenue, and the Chief Collector (Enforcement-Central), in an intensified counter-smuggling drive. Multan Customs has made major seizures of smuggled goods viz., betel-nut, High-speed Diesel (HSD), Tyres, non-Customs-paid vehicles besides narcotics (valuing, aggregately, Rs1,300 million, during the period from July-10th Nov, 2021. The value of the seized goods is 18 percent higher than the corresponding period of last year.
Besides, the Collectorate, in a bid to enhance revenue generation, by conducting auctions of the long pending lots, has collected Rs.151 million from sale proceeds of vehicles and miscellaneous goods. These efforts have yielded positive results and revenue has increased by 181% in comparison to last year’s collection of Rs53 million. On 10.11.2021, the ASO formation of D.G. Khan of this Collectorate, upon receipt of a credible information and with the assistance of Punjab Rangers, intercepted three trucks loaded with smuggled goods, i.e., Betel Nut, Chewing Tobbaco, synthetic flavours, tyres and cigarettes and skimmed milk-powder etc. valuing, approximately, 90 million.
These smuggled goods and vehicles belong to notorious rackets of smugglers like Sadiq Khan and Abdul Rehman etc. Detail of the smuggled goods and vehicles is as follows:-i) Goods on TKT-126: Skimmed milk (450 bags), Chinese Salt (750 kg), Ltv tyres (50), shopping bags (1750 Kgs) Value of goods = 9.6 million (Approximately) ii) Goods on TKB-887: shopping bags (19600 Kgs) Value of goods = 19.6 million (Approximately)iii. Goods on AE-0292: LTV tyres (817) Value of goods = 8.17 million (Approximately)iv) Goods on TKH-775: Cigarettes (2650 outers), menthol crystals (100 kg), Shisha flavour 528 outers, Betel nuts (120 Kgs), SMP (549 bags) Value of goods= 26.568 million (Approximately).
Collector Customs Multan Imran Ahmad Chaudhry further stated that as per the recent investigation reports and study undertaken by the Collectorate, never-seen-before and unconventional routes are being used by smugglers for transport of smuggled goods. Besides, with a view to create a smokescreen, fictitious registration plates are displayed which are changed frequently en route destination. Anticipating the influx of smuggled goods and with a view to adopt effective counter-smuggling measures, the Collectorate, in the areas under its jurisdiction which spans over three civil divisions, namely, D.G. Khan, Bahawalpur and Multan. Multan Customs Investigation and Prosecution has identified seven sensitive areas vis-a-vis flow of traffic for establishing check posts establishing new Customs offices including check posts/small forts which hitherto did not exist. The approval for creation of new check posts has been asked for FBR. Apart from this, the Collectorate has taken up with the Federal Board of Revenue for provision of adequate human resource and financial resources for establishing concrete paraphernalia by ensuring strong presence in the smuggling-prone Southern Punjab.
In order to ensure inter-agency cooperation, liaison with law-enforcement and other agencies has been so as to put concerted efforts for taking preemptive measures, by ensuring enhanced vigilance and area-wise surveillance, aimed to prevent illicit flow of goods. In this regard, close coordination with Punjab Rangers, Border Military Police (BMP), Motorway Police and National Highway Authority (NHA) have been made. The Collectorate has also started invoking AML (Anti Money Laundering). The cases of money-laundering, as have been instituted under the Anti Money Laundering Act, 2010, are being forwarded to the Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation (I & I – Customs) for further probe.
A special cell is being constituted in the Collectorate for freezing of assets of the persons involved in smuggling and illicit trade. Regular hearings are being attended in courts of law of Multan Bench (Lahore High Court) and Special Judge (Customs). However, at Multan the Special Judge does not exist, therefore, a lot of time and financial-and-human resources are being engaged in commuting frequently to and from Lahore – the principal seat of the Special Judge (Customs).
As there is no Forensic Science Laboratory of Customs its own, therefore, for carrying out forensic analysis of detained vehicles, a team of FSL experts is requested to visit from Islamabad. Given the above, an FSL is needed to be established in Multan Collectorate as one of the major road-arteries used for the transport of smuggled goods into Punjab are also routed through the areas under the jurisdiction of the Collectorate. It’s no denying a fact that where the newly established network of motorways, with its district-wise interchanges, multiple routes, diversions and channels and National Highways has facilitated the movement of bona fide goods and cargo, it, at the same time, has made it equally challenging for Customs, with its limited human resource and vast areas under jurisdiction, to keep pace of the anti-smuggling activities vis-à-vis the highly competitive use of resource and technology by the anti-trade elements.
For an instance, the Collectorate, which is situated at the amalgam of three provinces, i.e., on one part touching Balochistan through Rakhni-Bawata Inter-Provincial Border in the West while on the South side links with Sindh through Obaro-Sadiqabad Point, has a territorial jurisdiction spanning over almost 52% of the Punjab with three (03) civil divisions i.e. Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur comprising 11 districts are manned with limited human resources.
According to a study undertaken recently, during daytime, the ratio of goods-to-passenger traffic at M5 is 70:30 which, post 2000 hours, turns 85:15 with Rest Areas serving as ‘safe transit dens’ for the illicit traffic. As the Motorway Police do not allow anti-smuggling activities under Section 48(2) of the National Highway Safety Ordinance, 2000, which states that no obstruction in any form, manner or mode including unauthorized barrier shall on any national highway except in connection with authorized public work be undertaken and that too after approval of National Highway and Pakistan Motorway Police of the area, therefore, this Collectorate is facing difficulties in curtailing the movement of smuggled goods on Motorways. It has also been learnt that, now-a-days, smuggled goods, as per an emerging trend, are being transported as concealed under duty-paid goods. It is, in this regard, imperative that information-based interception may be made on the Motorways with the assistance of NH&MP.
Section 7 of the Customs Act, 1969 stipulates the civil and armed forces to provide assistance to the Customs in the discharge of their functions, as reproduced below:“7. Assistance to the officers of customs.- All officers of Central Excise, Police, and the Civil Armed Forces, and all officers engaged in the collection of land-revenue are hereby empowered and required to assist officers of customs in the discharge of their functions under this Act. “Keeping the foregoing in view, it is proposed that a joint working strategy may be chalked out to curtain the flow of illicit traffic on Motorways with focal persons nominated so as to maintain day-to-day basis liaison from both sides.