KARACHI: The anti-smuggling organization (ASO) of MCC Preventive Karachi headed by Deputy Collector Mohammad Faisal has been quite efficient against movement of smuggled goods and foiled numerous smuggling attempts.
Information was received through Collector Preventive Dr. Iftikhar to Additional Collector Aamir Theim that betel nut and gutka would be transported to Karachi through passenger trains coming from Punjab. Reacting to this information Deputy Collector Mohammad Faisal raided the railway station and recovered betel nut from a bogey, earlier.
Later on, Deputy Collector Mohammad Faisal kept strict eye on cargo trains coming from Punjab and in a well planned operation seized smuggled betel nut, cigarette and Indian gutka worth Rs100 million in a week. ASO team raided four different trains, two of which had come from Lahore and two had come from Multan.
It may be mentioned here that legal import of betel nut stopped about a year ago when Department of Plant Protection imposed certain quarantine restrictions. However, the commodity is easily available in the market.
Several companies in the business of betel nut and sonf-supari are continuing their production and their warehouses are full of smuggled betel-nut.