Large stash of 'top-quality' chars recovered during Pakistan Coast Guard operations

KARACHI: More than two dozen people were detained and nine kilos of "top-quality" chars — or hashish — recovered during various operations conducted in Balochistan, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) said Monday

The large quantity of hashish was recovered from two passengers travelling in a bus near the Naka Khari check-post during a PCG operation.

The spokesperson said 28 individuals, including drug dealers and migrants, were detained in total.

The PCG searched various vehicles during different operations near Naka Khari and on the Super Highway (M-9 motorway), seizing 13,673kgs of chalia or betel nut, 1,060 stacks of foreign cigarettes, 18,312 packets of Indian gutka, and some other items. They also detained six individuals.

In another operation at the Naka Khari check-post, five Toyota Hilux vehicles were seized over unpaid customs duties and nine people arrested, the PCG spokesperson said. The cars were being illegally smuggled from Quetta to Karachi, they added.

In addition, 11 migrants were also arrested during an operation in Gwadar, near the Pakistan-Iran border.

In total, the total value of all the seized items was worth millions of rupees, the PCG official said.