Customs seize 10,000 phones, tobacco flavors worth millions of rupees

KARACHI: Pakistan Customs foiled a major smuggling attempt in Karachi, seizing over 10,000 mobile phones worth Rs302.4 million and 15,000 tobacco flavors valued at Rs30 million, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Customs officials revealed that an importer was attempting to smuggle the phones and tobacco flavors under the guise of car coolant.

The items were concealed in boxes labeled as car coolants. However, the scam was uncovered during a search of a truck that had previously been cleared by customs.

Deputy Collector Customs, Syed Muhammad Raza Naqvi, stated that a private company had attempted to deceive customs by misdeclaring the goods.

He confirmed that all seized items have been confiscated, a case has been filed against the importer under the Customs Act, and an investigation is ongoing for further legal action.

Earlier, the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission summoned six customs officers from the Karachi Customs Collectorate on March 3, following allegations of their involvement in a vehicle smuggling case, ARY News reported on Friday.

The summoned customs officers include Additional Collector Wajid Zaman, Assistant Collectors Usama Dastagir and Fahad Khan, Superintendent Babar, Inspector Ahsan, and Inspector Wali Raza.

Notably, the special advisor to the finance minister and former collector Asif Hargan’s driver has also been called for questioning. The customs officers and personnel are accused of running a vehicle smuggling network in collaboration with private individuals.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed all relevant government agencies, particularly the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Customs, to implement strict measures to combat smuggling throughout the country.

In response to the Prime Minister’s directives, the FBR has introduced a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) that grants authorities the power to confiscate vehicles and other means of transport used for transporting smuggled goods.