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Wednesday October 30, 2024

Narcotics worth Rs10m seized as smuggling attempt foiled

By Our Correspondent
December 19, 2023

The Customs Enforcement Karachi successfully foiled a smuggling attempt, seizing narcotics worth Rs10 million on Monday.

Syed Irfan Ali, a Customs spokesman, reported that Collector Customs Enforcement Karachi Basit Maqsood Abbasi received intelligence about a potential hashish smuggling operation from Balochistan to Karachi via truck and trailer.

This representational picture on September 11, 2023, shows trucks parked along a road and a parking area in Torkham. — AFP
This representational picture on September 11, 2023, shows trucks parked along a road and a parking area in Torkham. — AFP

To counteract the smuggling bid, a specialised team led by the Assistant Collector Enforcement initiated stringent monitoring of trucks and trailers entering Karachi from Balochistan. Additionally, the patrolling squad of ASO intensified surveillance along RCD Highway, Northern Bypass, and surrounding rural areas.

In the early hours of Monday, a thorough inspection of a Hino trawler on the Northern Bypass revealed 57 packets of hashish weighing 70 kilograms hidden in the spare wheel toolbox of the truck. The seized narcotics were valued at Rs10.5 million. Two individuals were apprehended, and a case was registered under the Narcotics Control and Customs Act. The confiscated trailer, estimated at Rs1.25 crore and used in the smuggling attempt, was also seized. Further investigations are under way.