Customs seizes smuggled goods from passenger buses in Karachi

KARACHI: Customs Anti-Smuggling Organisation confiscated smuggled goods worth millions from three passenger buses during a raid in Karachi, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The Customs officials conducted the raid at Ghani Chowrangi in SITE area of Karachi. The smuggled goods were recovered from secret boxes in three buses from Quetta.

The smuggled goods included imported clothes, Indian gutka, LED and other items. According to the additional collector, the confiscated goods worth over Rs49.2 million.

He added that the drivers of the passenger buses were arrested and cases were registered against them.

Earlier in July, Customs seized an illegal consignment of imported sophisticated rifles at Allama Iqbal Airport. Legal requirements were blatantly violated in import of the modern rifles.

READ: CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT RECOVERS SMUGGLED ITEMS WORTH RS 46 MILLION

“In Pakistan 7.62 caliber weapons have been in prohibited list,” sources said. “A rifle has 1.2 million rupees price in the local market and could be converted into automatic weapon,” arms experts said. “A rifle with below 18-inch bore has been prohibited, while the seized rifles have 11-inch bore,” sources said.

An arms company of Karachi had arranged the consignment for Lahore airport without getting the licence from the Sindh government, sources said. The private company has neither taken transportation licence from home department of Punjab.

“The Customs officials have started technical scrutiny of the arms with the help from the arms experts,” sources said.

“The consignment will be confiscated if the rifles found to be of the prohibited caliber,” Customs officials said.