KARACHI: The Directorate of Customs Intelligence (ASO) in a raid at embroidery factory in F.B Area Azizabad has recovered 540 tyres worth Rs8.0 million smuggled from Afghanistan.
Last week, the Directorate recovered 994 tyres worth Rs20 million in a raid at a warehouse situated on the rooftop of a tyre show room in Tariq Road.
Director Customs Intelligence ASO Asif Marghoob Siddiqui following the directives of Director General Imtiaz Ahmed has formed a special anti-smuggling team headed by Superintendent Najeeb Jafri while Additional Director Nadeem Ahsan is supervising the operations of this team.
This special team was formed after the earlier team was put duty off on the directives of then DG I&I Lutfullah Virk. The earlier team had earned a very bad reputation for their links with smugglers and facilitation of Transshipment cargo (TP) pilferage through their private ‘Lappoos’ claiming to be Intelligence officers.
According to sources, a sensitive intelligence agency had informed Customs authorities about the wrongdoings of Customs officials i.e. members of the earlier anti-smuggling team. It is estimated that the cartel comprising three officials and 11 private persons hired by the team members were collecting around Rs300 million every month from smugglers and other stakeholders of this illicit trade for the cover and support they were providing to this dirty business. It was known that these 11 private persons had forged identity cards mentioning them as senior intelligence officers.
Market sources said that this team despite being ‘duty-off’ are visiting markets and importers/traders demanding extortion. It was known that these officials are claiming that they were Team-A, and are threatening the warehouse owners, traders, importers as well as clearing agents of dire consequences if their demands are not met.
Sources said the legitimate anti-smuggling team lead by Najeeb Jafri is quite actively playing its role in the grand anti-smuggling campaign, while the ‘duty-off’ is equally active protecting the smugglers and importers of illegal and non-duty paid goods.
It was learnt that the information about the raid-schedule is leaked to the unscrupulous elements even these duty-off officials have been found already present at the raid site facilitating shifting of smuggled goods.
Market sources said they are compelled to deal in smuggled products otherwise they would be pushed out of competition by other players who were already dealing in non-duty paid goods. One such trader said they resisted to smuggled goods for long but the network of smugglers is so strong and supply of non-duty paid goods continue to flood market. Since it makes big disparity in prices, they were getting pushed out of competition.