Pakistan Customs has launched a comprehensive crackdown on the smuggling of various goods, with a particular focus on essential commodities, petroleum products, currency, and more.
Smuggled items, including essential goods like sugar and urea leaving Pakistan and petroleum and other products entering through less frequented routes along the Afghanistan and Iran borders, have been a persistent issue.
Over the past two weeks, Pakistan Customs has conducted numerous operations across the country, resulting in the seizure of a significant amount of smuggled goods valued at approximately Rs. 2.25 billion.
Also Read: Karachi Customs Thwarts Massive Diesel Smuggling Operation Worth Rs. 3.45 Crore
These operations spanned various regions, including Quetta, D.I. Khan, Multan, Karachi, Sargodha, and Lahore. Among the seized items were large quantities of sugar, urea, petroleum, local currency, as well as tires, black tea, betel nuts, vehicles, iron, steel, and other assorted goods.
One notable operation occurred in Balochistan on September 2, where Customs Enforcement-Quetta intercepted 1,637 tons of sugar, worth roughly Rs. 1 billion, being transported by smugglers in a convoy of 15 trucks.
This was followed by another significant operation on September 3, when Customs Enforcement-D.I. Khan, in collaboration with local police, seized smuggled goods and vehicles valued at Rs. 519 million on the Daraban-Darazinda Road. Additionally, Customs Enforcement-D.I. Khan confiscated around 218,000 liters of smuggled petroleum products (diesel), worth approximately Rs. 137.6 million.
Customs Enforcement-Karachi also contributed to these efforts by disrupting the flow of smuggled petroleum products, seizing 115,000 liters of Iranian-origin diesel and 30,000 liters of petrol. These operations are part of a broader effort by Pakistan Customs to combat smuggling and ensure the integrity of the country’s trade and economic stability.
To further strengthen anti-smuggling measures, strict instructions have been issued to anti-smuggling formations, including mobile squads of the Collectorates and airports, to vigilantly monitor illicit movements of essential goods, Iranian petroleum products, and currency.
