ASF foils bid to smuggle surgical masks at Islamabad airport
- By Salah Uddin -
- Mar 06, 2020
ISLAMABAD: The Airport Security Force (ASF) foiled a bid to smuggle a huge quantity of surgical masks at Islamabad International Airport on Thursday, ARY News reported.
According to the details, the security forces recovered 22 kilograms of masks hidden inside a passenger’s luggage at the airport.
Sources said that the passenger, Abdul Ahad was to fly for Bangkok via a foreign airlines flight TG-350. The passenger and the surgical masks have been handed over to the Customs officials for further legal proceedings.
It is pertinent to mention here that the government of Pakistan has banned the export of respiratory masks amid coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 3,000 lives and infected thousands in different countries.
Read More: Customs foil bid to smuggle respiratory masks to Thailand
Earlier on February 26, Pakistan Customs had thwarted a bid to smuggle respiratory masks to Thailand at the Lahore Intentional airport.
Sources privy to the development said, as many as five packets of respiratory mask weighting 60kg, had been 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 had easily passed the FIA counter but were nabbed by the customs intelligence team. The recovered mask had been taken into custody by the customs.