The Pakistan Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASMO) has successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle foreign goods valued at approximately Rs22.77 billion, which were disguised as iron and steel products. The operation was carried out near Naurus Chowrangi in the Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate (SITE) area, where a significant quantity of these smuggled goods, stored in two containers, was being loaded onto trucks for distribution across the country.
Interestingly, the goods were declared as iron and steel products in the documents filed with the Customs Department. However, upon inspection, it was evident that the actual items did not match the declared description.
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Consequently, all the seized items, along with the two trucks involved, were apprehended and transported to the ASMO headquarters for further investigation.
The recovered items included 255 mobile phones, 1,500 laptops, 1,200 tablets of various types, 25 LCD screens, 1,270 electronic cigarettes and flavors, and 100 cartons of various soap brands. While the declared value of these imported goods was reported as Rs14.33 billion, the total value after factoring in duties and taxes amounted to Rs22.77 billion. This discovery revealed an attempt to evade over Rs8 billion in taxes and duties through the misdeclaration of goods and their value by the importers.
