Customs seizes smuggled goods worth millions in raids

Personnel of the Pakistan Customs Intelligence with other law enforcing agencies faced resistance from smugglers in an MA Jinnah Road raid, but they managed to confiscate cloth worth millions of rupees, officials said on Saturday.

They said that a heavy contingent of the Sindh Rangers and police led by Deputy Director Directorate of Intelligence Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization Wasif Malik, Assistant Director Saud Hassan, Superintendent Irshad Ali Shah raided the Lucknow Al-Jadid Cloth Market and surrounding warehouses behind MA Jinnah Road, Allah Wali Market late on Friday night.

The smugglers and their supporters vandalised the vehicles coming to pick up goods by pelting stones. Law enforcers in vehicles were beaten and tortured. The smugglers and their supporters dispersed after the Rangers retaliated strongly with shelling and a baton charge.

They added that after a successful operation, several tonnes of smuggled cloth worth millions of rupee on five trucks and three Mazda trucks were seized.

In a separate raid, the Keamari district police conducted a joint operation against smuggling with intelligence agencies and Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi late on Friday night.

The operation was carried out at two godowns located on a road near Yusuf Goth Bus Terminal, and smuggled plastic grains and dry milk worth millions of rupees were recovered from the warehouses. More than 10,000 sacks of plastic grains, more than 5,000 sacks of dry milk and other commodities were included in the non-customs paid goods recovered from the two warehouses.

During the operation, some miscreants tried to block Hub River Road, but the Keamari district Police took timely action and opened the road for traffic.

SSP Arif Aslam Rao said that the Keamari district police will continue to take full action against all types of smuggling and hoarding, and no blackmailing or pressure will be tolerated in this regard.