MULTAN: Anti-Smuggling Organization of Model Customs Collectorate of Multan has impounded smuggled goods worth Rs 163,749,000 in the outgoing fiscal year 2013-14.
Anti smuggling operations were being conducted jointly by Customs Intelligence and Customs Collectorates as per orders from FBR, an initiative that was paying dividends.
During the eleven months of Fiscal Year 2013-14, confiscated smuggled goods included 90 vehicles worth Rs 72.47 million. Seizure of miscellaneous goods was estimated at Rs 91.28 million.
Earlier, in FY 2012-13, ASO had seized smuggled goods worth Rs 32.4 million which included 37 non-customs paid vehicles, and miscellaneous cases including smuggled cigarettes, art silk cloth, LED TVs, welding rods, used rims, ball bearings, tyres, tea, plastic raw material and petroleum products like grease and high speed diesel.
Collector Model Customs Collectorate of Multan, Sarfraz Ahmad Waraich said that the MCC Multan’s domain coincides with Balochistan, Sindh and KPK. He added that smugglers most often use these routes for smuggled items’ trafficking. That is why MCC Multan was utilizing help from Border Military Police, local police, and political agent of Fort Munro near Punjab-Balochistan border.
Moreover, a permanent customs check post has been set up at Kot Sabzal in Sadiqabad near Punjab-Sindh border. The collector said that Iranian high speed diesel, cigarettes, cloth, silk, LEDs, engine oil, welding rods, ball bearings, tyres, black tea, plastic raw material were among the items usually smuggled by the law breakers.