Staff Reporter
The Collectorate of Customs seized smuggled goods worth Rs501 million including betel nuts, welding electrodes, tyres, skimmed milk powder, non-Customs-paid vehicles and narcotics.
The smuggled goods were seized during a campaign launched on August 1, and continued till September 29, to eradicate smuggling.
The Collectorate of Customs carried out the campaign under the supervision of Member Customs (Operations) Tariq Huda, Chief Collector (Enforcement – Central) Zulfiqar Ali Chaudhry and Collector (Enforcement – Multan) Imran Ahmad Chaudhry.
According to Customs officials, the seized goods included 966 tyres along with truck worth Rs23 million, 25 tonnes of tyres scrap; 31,000 litres of HSD along with trucks worth Rs64.14 million; 150,40 Kg Betel Nuts along with truck worth Rs94.6 million; 69 cartons cigarettes along with truck valuing Rs30.5 million and other items.
The Customs captured highest value smuggled goods on September 25 when the officials busted a notorious smuggling racket operated by Haji Sadiq by intercepting a container of fabric, valuing Rs74 million, and a truckload of skimmed milk powder, worth Rs20 million during a 12 hours operation conducted with the assistance of Motorway Police and District Police Rahim Yar Khan.
The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Multan has convened a meeting of the stakeholder agencies and sister departments to chalk out a comprehensive strategy for ensuring inter-agency cooperation for conducting joint operations to eradicate the menace of smuggling.
