ISLAMABAD: A growth of 143 per cent was recorded in seizures of smuggled goods across the country, Pakistan Customs said in an official statement issued on Thursday.
In July 2020, Pakistan Customs seized smuggled goods worth Rs3.8 billion, which is more than twice as much as Rs1.56bn worth goods detained in the same period in 2019. The goods seized included gutka, betel nut, skim-med milk, cigarettes, Iranian diesel, tyres, non-duty paid vehicles, narcotics, cloth, gold, and foreign currency.
Pakistan Customs is making all-out efforts to protect the economic frontiers of Pakistan and protect local industry, the statement said. The government has extended anti-smuggling powers to Police, Frontier Corps, Pakistan Rangers and the Maritime Security Agency and has launched a country-wide operation against transportation, storage, and sale of smuggled goods.
Raids are being conducted on dumping places used for storage of smuggled items and intelligence-based operations are being conducted in all major cities including Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, and Multan to root out the network of smugglers, the statement added.
