SIALKOT: The Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) Zone-I has confiscated Indian origin cloth and black pepper worth Rs 100,000 during an action on Grand Trunk (GT) Road.
On the direction, ASO Zone-I incharge Assistant Collector Fahad Bashir Chaudhary and Inspector Amjad along with their team established check post on GT road in order to keep an eye on transit trade vehicles.
The team started checking of vehicles on GT Road near River Chenab Bridge, Wazirabad. The team intercepted a bus coming from Bhimbhar (AJK) and conducted search that led to the recovery of the cloth and black pepper.
The officials asked driver Rasheed about booking documents and import documents of recovered cloth and black pepper, but he could not produce the same. The team confiscated the recovered items under the customs laws and shifted to the office of Model Customs Collectorate, Sialkot. The team released driver after proper interrogation and registered case under customs law. The recovered items were being smuggling in guise of Kashmir Transit Trade.
Head of raiding party, Inspector Amjad told Custom Today that the ASO was performing duty to curb smuggling and the results were much satisfactory. He added that Sialkot Customs Collector Ahmed Reza Khan and other officers were mentoring the performance of all the three zones of ASO.
The department has put focus on foiling the smuggling bids made in the guise of transit trade causing loss to national exchequer.