Excise dept raids Customs' warehouse, recovers huge cache of imported liquor

KARACHI: The Excise Department conducted a raid on a bungalow in Karachi’s Clifton Block 2 on New Year’s night and recovered a large quantity of imported liquor, ARY News reported.

During the raid, Customs officials arrived at the bungalow and claimed it is their warehouse. The Excise Department has given Customs one day to produce the relevant documents for the seized liquor.

According to the Director-General (Narcotics Control Wing Sindh), there was no signboard or any indication at the bungalow to show it was associated with Customs.

Excise Inspector Aitzaz Ahsan stated that suspicious activities were occurring at the bungalow during the night. He added that Customs officials reached the site five hours after the raid and then claimed the premises were their warehouse.

Excise officials warned that if Customs fails to provide the required documentation, the bungalow will be sealed and an FIR will be registered.

Meanwhile, Customs Assistant Collector Enforcement Bisma Noor Jatoi termed the raid a misunderstanding, asserting that the seized items belong to Customs.

She stated that court cases related to the seized liquor are already underway; therefore, an FIR cannot be registered. “As soon as we received the information, our team arrived at the site. This is a Customs bonded house under Customs enforcement,” she added.