Customs foil bid to smuggle respiratory masks to Thailand

LAHORE: Pakistan Customs on Wednesday thwarted a bid to smuggle respiratory masks to Thailand at the Lahore Intentional airport, ARY News reported.

Sources privy to the development said, as many as five packets of respiratory mask weighting 60kg, were recovered from two passengers namely Aziz Akbar and Rehan Azhar, who were flying to Thailand via flight no TJ-346.

It emerged both the passengers easily passed the FIA counter but were nabbed by the customs intelligence team. The recovered mask were taken into custody by the customs.

It may be noted that the government of Pakistan has banned export of respiratory masks amid coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 2,700 lives in China and infected thousands in China only.

Last week, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) had launched countrywide crackdown against black marketing of respiratory masks and other items used for protection from Novel Coronavirus (NCV), a spokesperson of the Ministry of Health had said.

Drug Regulatory Authority had conducted raids at five pharmacies in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar over sale of protection items on inflated rates.

A large number of respiratory masks, and disposable gloves recovered from these pharmacies.