Customs foils bid to smuggle 5.6m narcotic tablets to Africa

The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Karachi intercepted an attempt to smuggle 5.6 million Tramadol tablets, valued at Rs2.8 billion, disguised as export goods to Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Tramadol is a controlled psychotropic drug under the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and is banned in several countries due to its addictive properties and potential misuse as a

narcotic.

According to Syed Irfan Ali, media liaison officer, Customs Enforcement Karachi, the consignment, falsely declared as towels, had already been cleared through the "Green Channel" under the Risk Management System (RMS) at NLC Containers Terminal Karachi for export to Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Deputy Collector Rabeel Khokhar identified the consignment through the risk profiling system and informed Additional Collector Basit Hussain. Upon his orders, a detailed inspection was conducted before the shipment could be loaded onto the vessel at Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT), Port Qasim.

Under the supervision of Deputy Collector Rabeel Khokhar, the Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) squad conducted 100% scanning and manual examination of the shipment. This led to the discovery of 5.6 million Tramadol tablets, which were immediately seized. Notably, no towels were found inside the container, contradicting the declared goods.

A case has been registered under the Customs Act, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend those involved. The seized Tramadol tablets have been transferred to the ASO warehouse for further legal proceedings.

This is the second-largest pharmaceutical seizure by Customs Enforcement Karachi in 2025. Just last month, in February 2025, the Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) confiscated Tramadol tablets worth Rs10 billion in another major operation. Collector of Customs Enforcement, Moinuddin Wani, praised the ASO team for their outstanding performance in preventing pharmaceutical smuggling.