LAHORE: On Thursday, the Anti-Smuggling Organization of Intelligence & Investigation (I&I) Customs, Regional Office, Lahore and Range Office Gujranwala conducted a successful raid at Saggian Bypass after receiving a tip-off valuing a large quantity of smuggled/non-duty paid goods worth Rs216 million.
As part of the seizure, tobacco products, tyres, fabric, glassware, skimmed milk, dry fruit, and underwear were seized. The Director I&I Customs, Ms Saima Shahzad, announced that immense quantities of smuggled goods were seized from smuggling mafia following the directives of the Director General of I&I Customs, Faiz Ahmad Chadhar.
The clandestine transit of massive quantities of contraband from foreign origin as well as non-duty paid goods to provincial capital was also successfully foiled.
Assam Abdul Asad led the intelligence-based anti-smuggling team and supervised Deputy Director Ali Asad to shift the impugned smuggled goods to I&I Customs’ warehouses.
It was also revealed that some smugglers were found repacking the smuggled goods in order to make them look exactly like other imported consignments in order to ensure safe transportation to the local market and defraud the customs en-route checking mechanism.
It is a unique modus operandi of the smugglers that the smuggled goods are transported through auto rickshaws in order to fool the detecting agencies.
After filing FIRs against suspected persons and conducting investigations, the authorities have initiated criminal prosecutions against them for a large number of hazardous products recovered.
