KARACHI: Collector Customs Adjudication Chaudry Muhammad Javaid has penalized the cartel involved in pilferage of ISAF reverse cargo including hazmat waste.

The bonded carrier, clearing agent and freight forwarder have been imposed penalties but the US consulate and their focal person were not penalized due to obvious reasons, despite the fact the mastermind behind pilferage and dumping of hazmat waste in Pakistan is the focal person of US ODRP.

Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation received information that M/s. Ports Connection (Pvt.) Itd and M/s Saryal Cargo Channel & Customs Clearing Agency in connivance of other associates were involved in the illegal removal of bonded goods from the containers of various consignments of ISAF reverse cargo meant for re-exportation from Mazar Sharif, Afghanistan to ISAF Germany through Customs Station Torkham via Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, Karachi.

Source further disclosed that number of such consignments where from goods have been pilferage or removed are lying pending re-export at Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, Karachi, for the last more than four months and no action has so far been taken by the concerned quarters.

As many as 17 containers having apparently intact seals affixed by the shipper and customs were examined by staff of Directorate of Customs Intelligence & Investigation. Eight containers were found to be stuffed with waste materials like wooden pallets, sand bags, concrete blocks. Nine containers were found to be stuffed with acid batteries as per declaration.

It was observed that nut and bolts of the hooks on which the seals are affixed had been opened in such way that the seals remained intact while handle could move along with hook and seals remained unbroken. After pilferage of containerized cargo, the nuts and bolts are again fixed on doors through welding etc.

The assessable value of pilfered goods i.e batteries filled with acids/lamps illegally removed and smuggled into country for home consumption is worked out to be Rs21.364 million while total leviable amount of duty and taxes on these goods comes to Rs11.246 million.

After due deliberation of the case, Collector  Customs Adjudication Chaudry Muhammad Javaid ordered recovery of Rs11.246 million from M/s Ports Connection Pvt Ltd, M/s Bin Qutub International Pvt Ltd, an international freight forwarding company, M/s Tri Wah Logistics, M/s Saryal Cargo Channel & Customs Clearing Agency and M/s Trade Link International as they failed to fulfill their responsibilities in terms of provisions of CGO-10.

A penalty of Rs5.0 million is also imposed on M/s Ports connection Pvt Ltd. Similarly a penalty of Rs2.0 million each is also imposed on M/s Bin Qutub International Pvt Ltd, M/s Tri Wah Logistics, M/s Saryal Cargo Channel & Customs Clearing Agency and M/s Trade Link International.

The focal person of US ODRP has also failed to perform his duties diligently as it never kept a strict vigil on the movement of the reverse US military/NATO/ISAF transit cargo and never monitored the conduct of the persons hired for movement of their cargo.

It may be mentioned here that there is substantial evidence that the focal person of US Consulate was directly involved in the pilferage of hazmat waste in Pakistan and even after the case was detected and authorities initiated the investigations the US Consulate protected the culprits at every step and created hurdles in the way of investigations.

It is on record that US Consulate time and again officially announced that none of their containers went missing or there was any pilferage despite the fact that Customs found several containers with concrete blocks and wooden pallets instead of acid batteries while hundreds of containers and remains of destroyed containers were found from the warehouses of M/s Bilal Associates.