Customs seizes eight containers with contraband items of Rs134m

The Pakistan Customs Enforcement’s Anti-Smuggling Organisation (ASO) has seized eight containers containing contraband items worth Rs134 million.

The containers, which had been cleared from the Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), were intercepted after a tip-off from a sensitive agency.

Syed Irfan Ali, a spokesperson for the customs, stated that the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement had received intelligence that Century Engineering Private Limited was attempting to smuggle usable batteries under the guise of battery scrap. Acting on this information, Collector Customs Enforcement Moinuddin Wani formed a special team, led by Deputy Collector Enforcement ASO Syed Muhammad Raza Naqvi, to monitor the containers.

The team observed consignments of battery scrap coming out of the KICT, and one shipment identified as ICICI raised suspicion.

Senior Manager of Abdul Aziz Sawal Clearing Agency, Sheikh Farid, stopped the containers at the West Wharf Road intersection and inquired about the consignment. The clearing agent presented three Goods Declarations (GDs) cleared through the Green Channel, listing eight containers as battery scrap. However, only seven containers were present at the scene. The manager informed the customs team that the eighth container had already been moved to the warehouse of Century Engineering Private Limited.

Following this, the Customs team seized the seven containers and transferred them to the ASO warehouse in Mauripur. Acting on further information, a raid was conducted at the warehouse of Century Engineering Private Limited on Northern Bypass, where the eighth container was also recovered and brought to the Mauripur Customs warehouse for inspection.

Upon thorough examination, customs officials found 6,748 batteries hidden among the battery scrap. These batteries were sent for laboratory testing to determine whether they were usable or scrap. The lab report confirmed that the batteries were indeed usable and not scrap, violating Pakistan's import policy, which bans the import of old, used batteries. As a result, the eight containers, valued at Rs4 million, along with the 6,748 usable batteries, valued at Rs 13.49 crores, were seized. A formal case has been registered against the importer and the clearing agent under the Customs Act.