3,000kg betel nuts seized in Korangi godown raid

Personnel of the Anti-Smuggling Organisation of Customs Enforcement Karachi have seized 3,000 kilograms of betel nuts from a godown in Korangi while Customs Intelligence officials have seized thousands of liters of Iranian diesel in a raid.

Irfan Ali, a spokesman for the customs, said on Thursday that acting on a tip-off received by the Customs Enforcement Karachi, the ASO and the Anti-Smuggling Squad raided a warehouse near Korangi Industrial Area, Singer Chowrangi, and seized 3,000 kilograms of smuggled hazardous health betel nuts worth Rs4 million.

The seized bark has been transferred to ASO Enforcement warehouse. A case has been registered under the Customs Act and further investigations are underway.

Officials said that in a joint operation led by the Karachi police and Customs Intelligence agencies, a hidden warehouse in the Korangi district has been exposed as a hub for producing counterfeit petrol and diesel.

The raid, conducted in Sector 50-C unveiled a shocking network of illegal fuel production that had been operating under the radar. During the operation, investigators discovered a clandestine manufacturing facility where fake petrol, diesel, and hydrocarbon solvent were being produced. The raiding team seized 561,000 liters of counterfeit petrol and diesel stored in 24 oil tanks. The warehouse owner had failed to renew the necessary licence for the past four years, raising serious concerns about regulatory oversight.